Something Like Rebirth
by Argenteus Draco
Summary: An AU in which Anakin cannot be trusted by the Council, Padme rises higher than she ever intended to in politics, and Obi-Wan's death on Utapau changes the course of Galactic history.
1. In which the best laid plans fail

**Something Like Rebirth**

_By Argenteus Draco_

* * *

**Part I**

_The Clone Wars rage across the Galaxy. Although Republic forces continue to clash with Separatist droids, the Republic victory at the the Battle of Coruscant seems to indicate that the fighting will be over soon._

_With the death of Count Dooku, two threats to the Republic still remain; the Separatist commander, General Grievous, and the mysterious Sith Master who appears to have a hand in every turn of the war. _

_On the remote world of Utapau, Obi-Wan Kenobi faces one threat, while his former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, encounters the other much closer to home..._

* * *

**_Chapter One --_**

**_In which the best laid plans fail..._**

Anakin was not aware of drawing his lightsaber. He was only barely aware of the chancellor speaking to him. No, not the chancellor, Darth Sidious… Why was he having such a hard time thinking clearly?

What he was aware of was a dull sort of humming the Force. It filled his mind, filled his whole being, until all he could hear was this blank buzz growing louder and more dissonant by the second. He could almost make out a voice somewhere under the white noise; _threats_, it sang, _peril… _he shook his head, trying to clear it enough to take in what Palpatine was saying.

And then the dragon clenched its jaws over his heart, and he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that something had gone wrong on Utapau.

He sank to his knees, eyes shut against a wave of nausea that was threatening to overwhelm him, carrying in its wake the unwanted knowledge that Obi-Wan was gone. Or maybe that stomach turning sensation was caused by the smell of burning flesh that was now filling the room.

He realized with another sickening lurch that the source of the smell was the wound in Palpatine's shoulder from which the blue glow of his lightsaber protruded. He stared, half in shock, afraid to pull the weapon away for fear of further injuring the chancellor.

Sidious – Palpatine (he couldn't keep it straight anymore) – stared down at the wound as well. If Anakin had cared to look into Palpatine's mind, he would have found it slowly turning over the information that yes, his plan had failed, but if he acted quickly, he might still salvage the situation. But Anakin was too lost to consider motives or plots.

"So, this is how it's going to be, then?"

Anakin looked up. Through a haze of raw emotion he watched Sidious back up off of his blade and adopt a fighting stance. "I regret this, Anakin," the familiar voice said. "You could have been great."

And then his whole body felt like it was on fire. Only the fact that he was so disassociated from his mind kept him from screaming under the effects of the Force-lightning. He fell back on years of Jedi training so ingrained into his mind it was like instinct. He allowed himself to sink fully into the force, let it guide his movements: every swing of his lightsaber, every step, every breath. Its voice – which sounded suspiciously like Obi-Wan – whispered instructions, and he followed without question.

When he finally came back to himself, his breathing was hard and ragged.

Palpatine's breathing had stopped.

* * *

Mace Windu was alone in the council chamber when Anakin requested entrance.

"Master," he said, in a voice weighted down with too much emotion for Mace to interpret, "You must forgive me. I think I've done something terrible."

Mace leveled his gaze at the young Knight. "Is this something to do with Chancellor Palpatine?"

Anakin hesitated a moment before muttering a very quiet, "Yes."

"You must report, Anakin. Your first duty is still to this council."

"I know."

The tension was stretching. Mace breathed deeply, and asked once more, "Anakin, what happened between you and the chancellor?"

He hesitated again. "I think I killed him."

Mace blinked. "You know, Anakin, I half expect these kinds of jokes from you. But that's not funny."

"It wasn't supposed to be."

Silence settled over the room as Mace decided whether or not to believe Anakin. Then, the Knight finally looked up, and Mace could see the horrible pained expression in his eyes.

"Master, there's something else." His voice cracked, and he tried to swallow but found his throat too constricted. "I think… I felt… Obi-Wan…" he couldn't finish.

"I've received no reports from Master Kenobi," Mace Windu replied. "We can't rely on feelings in place of official reports. Now, Anakin, I need to know why you would attack the chancellor."

With great difficulty, Anakin gathered what he remembered of the last hour's events. "We were discussing philosophy," he said, "stories about the Sith. I can't remember most of it, I couldn't think clearly. That was when I felt –" He stopped. He already knew Master Windu didn't care to hear more about that. "Anyway, I… I lost myself. I didn't even realize I'd hurt him until afterward. He retaliated. I defended myself."

Mace looked uncertain. "That still leaves the question of why your lightsaber was drawn to begin with. Anakin, I can't help you if you don't tell me the truth."

"That is the truth." Anakin was now struggling to remember the events in their proper order. Everything had become such a blur after…

"He told me he was Darth Sidious."

For a long time, Mace just stared. He'd heard some strange stories during his years on the council, but this… He reached out with the Force, expecting to find the shatterpoint he could trace back to an answer. Instead, he found that the complex network surrounding Anakin was already broken, the pieces scattered and impossible to make sense of.

"Master, please," he said, sounding more desperate than Mace had ever heard him. "I know I haven't acted wisely. Help me."

He was going to break, and Mace did not want to be the one to personally test how far he could push Anakin before he was un-repairable. "Alright, Anakin. Return to your rooms. If any guards are searching for you, we will keep them out of the Temple. I must discuss this with the rest of the council."

Anakin bowed shakily and left. Only when he'd reached his apartment did he give himself up to the shock.

* * *

The official report was all over the holonet by sundown. The Jedi had identified Darth Sidious as a member of Palpatine's inner circle. Anakin Skywalker, who had been with Palpatine at the time Sidious reveled himself, fought valiantly, but was unable to protect the chancellor by himself. Sidious had fled following the fight. Anakin was being treated for minor injuries.

And Padmé Amidala was not being allowed into the Temple to see him.

She vented to Bail Organa, who had been kind enough to stop his speeder for her on his way to an emergency meeting of the Two-Thousand.

"I just want to know what happened," she said, strapping herself into the seat.

"As do we all," Bail replied. "But unfortunately we have more urgent issues at hand. Or should I say, _you_ have more urgent issues."

She looked at him quizzically.

"Your name is among those being nominated for chancellor."


	2. In which Anakin remembers a lesson

_**Chapter Two --**_

_**In which Anakin remembers a lesson...**_

First, Anakin had stared at the blank, white door that faced him. Then he'd screamed, and the violence began.

One ruined shirt and several smashed pieces of pottery later, he stopped to survey the damage. His foot throbbed from kicking the very solid wall a few times, and his head ached worse than he could ever remember experiencing. He pinched the bridge of his nose and considered calling for a medical droid, but whatever drug they brought would likely put him to sleep, and he dreaded the images he thought his dreams might bring.

He sank down against the wall, and stared at his knees. For once, he felt no desire to know what was going on in the council meeting above him. Right then, he wanted no part in their decisions. He only wanted to be told what to do.

* * *

When Mace returned to the council chamber after an hour spent with reporters, something of his exasperation must have shown on his face, because Kit Fisto's lips twitched up in amusement. Mace glared.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves in my absence," he muttered rather mutinously. "Next time, one of you can go explain to the reporters why an important political figure was killed by a Jedi weapon."

"I might take you up on that offer," Agen Kolar replied. "I, for one, would love to start dispelling all the propaganda Palpatine was spreading. 'Only Jedi carry lightsabers.' Honestly, you can by them here in Coruscant if you know where to look."

"True enough," Saesee Tiin added, "but the argument remains that only those skilled in the Force can use them effectively. And to the public, the Force still means Jedi. They try not to concern themselves with the Sith."

"Which is why we must appear to still be searching for Darth Sideous," Kit replied, "While our glorious figure-head--" Mace glared again, "--assures the public that they are safe."

"Don't you see a little flaw in this plan, though? The public believes Anakin fought Sideous. It's only a matter of time until they question why he wasn't killed along with the Chancellor."

"For the time being, people will be far too preoccupied with the senatorial elections. By the time that's finished, we will be able to spread word that Sideous has been found and defeated."

"And if we shouldn't actually find him?"

"Well, I think that threat is rather low anyway," Kit responded, "considering Anakin already killed him."

He was met with silence, but Kit's steady gaze did not waver.

"You believe Anakin's story, then?" Mace asked.

"Certainly. The boy has never lied to us before. What could he possibly gain by beginning now?"

The masters exchanged uneasy looks. There was an unspoken fear of a plot by the Sith, a traitor in their midst. None of them really wanted to consider the possibility that the Dark side may have corrupted Anakin. It was unthinkable, really. He was a dedicated Knight…

…still…

A holocrom blinked into existence in the center of the room. "Masters." Commander Cody saluted. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Secretly glad for the break in the tension, Mace signaled him to continue.

"Utapau is secure, all enemy droids destroyed and bases disabled. However, I'm afraid General Grievous managed to disappear again, and we've had no word from General Kenobi either."

Mace's voice was firm and controlled as he responded. "Very well, Commander. I will expect you back within the week to make a full report."

"Of course, General. Cody out."

The holocrom flickered off. "Grave news, this is," Yoda murmured, "to loose Obi-Wan."

The masters looked at each other, their expressions masked and difficult to read. Then Kit Fisto stood up and faced Mace Windu.

"With your permission, Master," he said, inclining his head in a slight bow, "I'll go tell Anakin."

* * *

It was near dark when Anakin suddenly realized that he was hungry. He stood up in one fluid motion and pulled his door open.

Kit Fisto was standing on the other side, hand raised as if about to knock, wearing a grim expression that Anakin didn't like in the least. All thoughts of food forgotten once more, he invited the Nautolan inside and shut the door again.

"Has something happened, Master?"

Kit hesitated over an answer. "We've received news from Utapau. And… it wasn't all good, Anakin."

The young Knight hung his head. "Obi-Wan is dead." It wasn't a question.

"Commander Cody would not confirm anything--"

"He doesn't have to." Anakin looked up. "I'm sorry, Master Fisto. I know you were his friend too."

Kit held his gaze for a long moment. If a Nautolan's eyes could have expressed emotion, it would have been a soul-searching stare, but Anakin was unable to make out anything in the black depths. Finally, he smiled sadly. "I should have realized," Kit said quietly, "that if anyone could have retained the bond between Master and Padawan, it would be you."

"Well," Anakin muttered ruefully, "It's broken now."

Kit laid a hand on Anakin's shoulder. He shuddered; the Nautolan's touch was cooler than a human's. "I wouldn't be too sure of that. Remember, Anakin, Obi-Wan lives on in everything he taught you."

Suddenly, Kit's joking smile was back. "I'm sorry. I must sound like Master Nu, quoting the Code at you like that."

"No, it's fine." Anakin replied half-heartedly. He wanted badly to believe Master Fisto. But right then, he could only manage to remember one of Obi-Wan's lessons, and it didn't bring him much comfort.

"_All things die_."


	3. In which Anakin's fate is discussed

__

_**Chapter Three --**_

_**In which Anakin's fate is discussed...**_

The long hall was filled to capacity. Two thousand representatives in three rows of tiered seats was much more imposing than she remembered. The last time Padmé had been here, she'd been in one of those seats herself, waiting to sign the petition while Bail did most of the talking. She remembered that then she'd admired the grandeur of the room; it hadn't frightened her nearly so much.

She took a deep breath and tried to convince herself that she wasn't frightened now either.

_Of course you're not_, the other part of her mind countered as she stepped forward to speak. _You're terrified_.

Very fortunately, Padmé's life had always revolved around politics, and she was prepared to hide her emotions from the assembly. "Fellow sentients," she began, "your stunning support for my nomination is any politician's dream. But I cannot accept. My current position--" She was cut off by an outcry from the seats.

"I warned you," Bail muttered on her left. She tried to regain her audience.

"I was not the only organizer of the original petition, only the presenter. Consider Senator Organa--"

There was no help for it. She looked helplessly at Bail, who stepped forward to take the podium from her. Slowly, the murmurings of the crowd died down as he signaled for quiet. "Your points have been made," he said once the hall was silent again. " Senator Amidala, do you accept your nomination for Chancellor?"

Padmé looked around the hall. On the one hand, with the powers already granted to the Chancellor, she would be in a position to end the war. She didn't even need all of the power Palpatine had taken; she could begin restoring the Senate. And she could always step down and name a successor once she'd finished…

But even as she nodded and the room filled with applause, she wondered how she was going to hide her pregnancy now.

* * *

Anakin slept badly. He wasn't dreaming anymore, but he kept hearing Obi-Wan's voice whisper his name, as though he were calling out to Anakin from very far away. Once, he found himself awake and wandering the apartment looking for his master before he remembered that even if Obi-Wan was still here in Coruscant, they hadn't shared rooms since his days as a Padawan.

He threw himself back into bed and shut his eyes determinedly, willing sleep to come. Even if he dreamed about Padmé, it was better than this; at least he knew what those dreams meant.

"_Anakin…_"

There was a hint of blue light playing over his closed eyelids. If he squinted hard enough, he could almost imagine it taking on Obi-Wan's familiar form.

He opened his eyes again and blinked rapidly in the darkness.

"_Anakin_…"

"Shut up!" he cried, throwing back the blankets and looking wildly around the room for something – anything – that could explain why he was hearing things. "Stop talking to me!" he wasn't sure who, or even what, he was addressing, but it felt so good to just let go and scream that he didn't pause long enough to question it. "I know what happened. I understand. Now I just want to _forget_!"

He kept screaming, no longer consciously choosing words, until he finally broke down into tears.

* * *

Anakin had no idea that the presence he felt was actually that of Saesee Tiin standing on the other side of the wall. The master sighed sadly, and walked back to the end of the hall, falling into step with Kit Fisto and Mace Windu along the way.

"Well?" Mace tried to catch his eye, but Tiin stared determinedly ahead. "Do you read anything strange in his mind?"

"The boy is unstable," the Ikochi replied. "I could gather very little, and that worries me."

Mace nodded gravely. "You agree with me then, that Anakin must not leave the Temple, at least until we can be sure of his mental state?"

Kit, who had been silent until this point, looked up. "With all due respect, Master, you can't possibly be serious. Anakin needs to stop thinking about death, and the only way he's going to do that is to get back to his life."

"And if he were anyone else, I would agree with you." Mace let his statement hang in the air for a moment. "Anakin has lived his life away from the Temple for too long; I think it is time he returned to a more typical Jedi way of life."

"These are not typical times," Kit countered. "All of us have had to adjust--"

Master Windu cut him off with a sharp look, and Kit bowed his head respectfully before Mace continued. "And I worry about his connection to Senator Amidala. Her position against Chancellor Palpatine was well known, as was her friendship with Anakin. It might appear as though he helped her to take on a more prominent position."

Kit was quiet for a long time. "I do not agree with confining Anakin inside the Temple walls. I will not fight the Council's decision, but you will not have my vote."

"Master Tiin?" Mace asked.

He thought about it. "Your point is made, Master Fisto," he finally replied, "but some of young Skywalker's thoughts were rather disturbing. I vote with the Council."

They'd reached the end of the hall. Mace Windu gave the other two a slight bow, which the two aliens returned, before turning right and heading back to the Council Chamber to begin informing the other Masters of their decision regarding Anakin.

"Shouldn't you be joining him?" Kit asked.

"I know you wished to speak with me privately."

Kit reflected that he should have known better than to think he could have hidden this from a telepath. "I did, actually. I wanted to know what it was you found particularly disturbing. It's been my experience that grief like Anakin's is normal in humans."

"Normal…" Saesee Tiin considered the word. "Tell me, Master Fisto: is it normal for Anakin to still be hearing – and responding to – what he believes to be the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

Kit had no answer to that. They continued to walk in silence.


	4. In which Anakin makes a friend

__

_**Chapter Four --**_

_**In which Anakin makes a friend at a funeral...**_

"Master?"

The small green creature, along with most of the younglings he was teaching, looked up at the figure in the doorway. "Yes, young Skywalker?"

"I've had trouble finding peace lately. Would you mind if I meditated with you?"

Yoda murmured an affirmation and indicated a clear space on the floor. It wasn't until Anakin had settled cross-legged there among the younglings that he realized most of them were openly staring at him. Apparently, Knights of any rank did not often join their meditation sessions, let alone The Chosen One.

Oh well. It wasn't the first rule he'd broken, and likely wouldn't be the last.

Anakin tried to direct his thoughts away from his past mistakes and back to what Master Yoda was saying. It wasn't easy. Obi-Wan's teachings kept intruding.

"More than just life, the Force gives us. Purpose, it bestows. No better way is there to die than for one's purpose."

Anakin shut his eyes so he would not have to see Yoda staring at him. The blue light he was now familiar with from his dreams flooded his vision. He wondered if he should reach out to Master Yoda through the Force, offer him a glimpse of the vision (if it could even be called such), then quickly dismissed the thought. The council already thought he was crazy; there was no reason to offer them more proof.

He focused on his breathing, and slowly realized that everyone else was actually breathing together. In, hold, out… he adjusted his own breaths so that he matched the others. Even his heartbeat was falling into rhythm.

Breathe in…

It occurred to him that this was the first time he'd meditated with a large group. He'd never been part of a clan. All of his training had come from Obi-Wan.

Hold…

The void that Obi-Wan's death had left was the only part of him that he couldn't manage to fill with the Force. In one corner of his mind, a voice argued that, in time, the wound would heal, and cause less pain.

But he wasn't prepared to wait that long. When his mother had died, he'd had the immediate satisfaction of filling the void with his rage. That had been his block against the pain of Palpatine's death as well. He'd avenged Palpatine by murdering Sidious; or at least, that was what he told himself. But he couldn't do anything for Obi-Wan. All he had for his former Master was grief, and grief _hurt_.

Breathe out…

So he just let it go. Unsure of what to feel, Anakin decided it was easier to feel nothing at all.

* * *

The bio-droid's mechanized breathing resounded through the empty cockpit as he stared expectantly at the comm unit. It had been almost five standard days since he'd sent the message to his Master, yet Sidious had not responded.

In a far corner of his mind, he wondered if something unplanned had happened. But Grievous dismissed that notion almost immediately as impossible. Sidious planned for everything. It wasn't his place to know the particulars of any plan.

He was still a general, though, and in a lack of order, he was perfectly capable of giving his own commands. In fact, he thought, as he wrapped mechanical fingers around Kenobi's lightsaber, this might be a sign from his Master that he trusted Grievous. The war would be over soon, he'd been told. Surely Sidious had more important matters to attend to.

He turned back to the control panel and checked his coordinates. Within two days, he would arrive on Mustafar. It wasn't his first choice of base, but it was the place he was most likely to find answers.

* * *

"Master Skywalker?"

The voice was unfamiliar, and seemed to be coming from very far away. Slowly, he dragged himself out of his meditation.

"Disturb him you should not."

"It's alright, Master." Anakin stretched his legs and stood up, meeting Yoda's eyes as he did so. "He meant well."

Yoda was giving him one of those too-wise looks as his gaze flickered between Anakin and the boy. "Hmm," he finally said, and Anakin had the nasty suspicion that Yoda knew something he didn't. "Expect you back soon, I will."

Anakin assumed that Yoda meant the child, but even there he wasn't sure. Before he could clarify, Yoda was on his hover chair and moving away down the hall. Anakin looked down at his companion.

The youngling – well, he wasn't all that young actually, probably twelve or thirteen – was shuffling his feet and trying to appear less nervous than he obviously was.

"Master Skywalker," he finally blurted, though he was still speaking in the direction of the floor, "I was hoping – you know, if I'm not disturbing you – could I ask you a question?"

The stuttering annoyed him. Everyone treated him as though he were delicate these days. He restrained his urge to reply sarcastically, and instead waved his hand in a signal to continue.

"Do you know if – I mean, has Master Kenobi ever mentioned taking another Padawan?"

Anakin flinched inwardly. The kid started to stammer out an explanation. "It's just, I'm almost fourteen, I'm going to be sent to a corps soon, and I heard once that Master Kenobi was sent to a corps too, so I figured that if anyone might still take me as a Padawan, he would."

He was looking so hopefully up at Anakin now that the Chosen One was at a complete loss for words.

He'd never been so relieved to hear footsteps approaching. When Kit Fisto appeared in the doorway, Anakin was so grateful to be spared answering that he almost smiled. One look at the Nautolan's unusually serious expression told him that was a bad idea though.

"I'm sorry, Anakin," he said, his unblinking gaze set on the boy, "were you busy?"

Very fortunately, the kid took the hint. "Master Fisto," he said, and half-ran off in the direction Yoda had taken the rest of his class. Kit's gaze returned to Anakin.

"The council is getting ready to debrief Commander Cody."

Whatever remnants of peace he'd retained, they fled instantly, and this time Anakin did not bother to hide his grimace. "I take it he didn't bring good news."

"Certainly didn't look like it."

Anakin sighed, and started a brisk walk toward the turbo-lift that would take him up to the council chamber. "Anakin," Kit said when he caught up, "I realize this may be difficult for you–"

"But I have to know," Anakin replied. "Or I'll spend the rest of my life wondering what happened."

Kit nodded in understanding, and they continued in silence. Yoda was waiting for them at the turbo-lift, and he gave Anakin a long, appraising look before he pressed the button that would call the platform.

Cody was just beginning his report when they arrived. He turned and saluted them as they took their seats. Anakin's gaze flickered once to the empty chair that would have been Obi-Wan's, then forced himself to look back at Cody.

"Permission to continue, Masters?"

Anakin did not listen very closely to most of the report. He didn't care particularly for the details of the assault. He wanted to know what had happed to Obi-Wan.

"Grievous escaped. A few of us tried to engage him, but," the Clone spread his hands in a gesture of exasperation, "you know how he tends to slip through our fingers."

"Do you know where he might have gone?" Kit asked.

"No. But we dropped a tracker on his ship. We may be able to pick up the signal once he leaves hyperspace."

There were general nods of approval. "End the war we can," Yoda said, "if Grievous can be found."

Cody nodded solemnly.

"Commander," Anakin took a deep breath to steady his voice. "What happened to Master Kenobi?"

"I tracked the signal from his comm unit. There was no body, but we found this." He pulled a brown cloak from the bag that rested at his feet.

"May I see it?"

Anakin was acutely aware of eleven pairs of eyes focused on him as he accepted the cloak from Cody. Inch by inch, he examined the material. Along the edge, he identified the burn left over from one of his first lightsaber training bouts, and there was the jagged tear that Obi-Wan had mended himself in a slightly off color, and there the dark spot on the right shoulder, the souvenir of an incident with a strange blue stain that they never had figured out…

He swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Thank you, Commander."

* * *

The flames cackled and popped with something akin to laughter. Anakin almost wanted to smile as he threw the cloak onto the pyre, but all that he succeeded in doing was twisting his features into a pained expression that hurt his jaw.

He wondered if this was how Obi-Wan had felt when they'd burned Qui-Gon.

Like that occasion, more than just Jedi had turned out for the funeral. Senators, a group of clone troopers, a Balosar Anakin vaguely recognized from a bar in the lower part of the city… He caught sight of Padmé and tried to ignore her gaze, but she was persistent. Slowly, she wove her way through the crowd until she stood at Anakin's side.

"I'm so sorry, Annie," she said. "Are you alright?"

"No, not really."

She blinked, apparently taken aback by his frank response. "Anakin… what's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

"I couldn't tell you here anyway." He dropped his head so that he didn't have to meet anyone's eyes. "The Council thinks I'm loosing my mind. I'm not sure… I might be. I can't leave the Temple – I shouldn't even be speaking to you now. But I will find a way to contact you, Padmé. I promise."

"Anakin–"

"Just go, Padmé." He looked up again and stared at the fire. "Right now, I just want to be alone."

He waited until the flames had died and he stood alone on the dark steps of the Temple, then he picked up a handful of warm ash and ran it through his fingers.

"Master Skywalker?"

Anakin turned around, and found himself facing the youngling he'd met earlier. "I'm no Master, kid."

"What should I call you, then?"

He sat down on the cold permacrete. "I don't know. Anakin is fine."

The boy's green eyes went wide for a moment at the prospect of addressing the Chosen One so informally, and then he scuttled forward to kneel next to Anakin. While the boy stared upward at the trails of smoke, Anakin studied his profile. He had a tan face adorned with a sharply pointed nose and a round chin. His lips were pursed, as though he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to phrase it. He shifted his position a few times, finally settling with his knees drawn up to his chest and his lanky arms wrapped around them.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "When I asked about Master Kenobi… I didn't know."

He met Anakin's gaze steadily, and the Knight had a sudden, vivid sense of mourning that mirrored his own. Not mourning specifically for Obi-Wan, although he would certainly miss such a great hero, but mourning for what he saw as his last chance to be the kind of great knight he admired.

Then he jumped up and started running back up the steps. It wasn't until he'd reached the top that Anakin thought to call after him.

"What's your name?"

He paused briefly. "Perun."

And then he disappeared inside, and Anakin was left alone with the stars. He had a lot to think about.


	5. In which Anakin takes a Padawan

_**Chapter Five --**_

_**In which Anakin takes a Padawan...**_

Anakin did not know what the proper procedure was for choosing a Padawan. But he was reasonably sure this wasn't it.

He caught up with the Bear Clan again during a mechanics class. Yoda, stationed at the front of the room so that he could survey the younglings at their workstations, looked up as Anakin entered. He approached the table where Perun was very diligently piecing together a computer chip and sat down, the Rodian next to him obligingly shifting over to make room for Anakin.

"Need something, do you?" Yoda asked.

Anakin did not lift his eyes from the various parts and wires scattered over the table in front of him. "I want to take Perun Behruz as a Padawan learner."

A small shower of sparks erupted to Anakin's right as Perun accidentally connected two charged wires in surprise.

"Hmm…" Yoda appeared to be thinking about Anakin's announcement. "Very young you still are. Too young, I think."

Anakin had expected that reply. "Forgive me, Master, if I'm too forward, but that seems a bit hypocritical. It wasn't that long ago that you were telling me I was too _old_."

The room had gone deathly silent, all original pursuits forgotten in favor of watching Anakin, who finally looked up to meet Yoda's gaze. "And besides," he said slowly, "I'll be right here in the Temple the whole time. You can keep an eye on every mistake I make."

Yoda stared long and hard at Anakin. Finally, he waved a clawed hand nonchalantly in Perun's direction. "And what do you plan to teach the boy, hmm?"

Calmly, Anakin reached over and drew the chip out of Perun's slack fingers. "First, I intend to show him how to assemble this without fusing the parts together."

* * *

From the moment he stepped into his new rooms, Perun knew that his time with Master Skywalker was not going to be conventional.

Still, he preferred this to the AgriCorps.

The apartment looked out over the east side of Coruscant. Sunlight poured into the room through three windows, which made the off-white walls almost unbearably bright. He blinked a few times as he adjusted, then stepped into the bedroom that would now be his. Like the living room, it was sparsely furnished: a bed, a small night table, and a closet into which he dropped his single bag of clothes.

When he came back into the center room, Anakin was standing by the window, observing the cityscape. Perun only caught the last few words of what he'd been saying.

"Sorry, Master, what was that?"

Anakin looked surprised at being addressed. "Sorry. I didn't realize I was speaking aloud," he explained.

"Oh." Perun stood awkwardly in the doorway for a moment, wondering whether he aught to ask Anakin for instruction, until his Master turned around again.

"Are you a good pilot, Perun?"

"I'm decent," he replied. "I mean, I'm not the best in my crèche, but--"

Anakin cut him off with an impatient hand gesture. "And how are you at memorizing directions?"

"Erm… good, I think," Perun replied, wondering what one question had to do with the other.

Anakin pursed his lips, apparently thinking. Then he indicated one of the towered apartment complexes out in the city. "I'd like you to take a message to a senator for me. Floor eleven-thirty-eight. There's a private hanger you can land in; take Artoo with you, he knows where it is. Have you got all that?"

Perun nodded.

"Alright." Anakin gave him a small smile. "Now let me give you the message."

* * *

"Mistress?"

Padmé paused her work for a moment, and turned to face the protocol droid that was addressing her. "Yes, Threepio?"

"There's a Jedi here to see you."

She dropped her datapad and looked out the window. _Anakin_! she thought, recognizing his speeder. She borderline ran down the stairs, planning to throw himself into his arms. She'd been so worried about him—

Her first thought upon reaching the room was "You're not Anakin," and she blurted it out before she could stop herself.

It was a slight consolation that the boy seemed just as shocked as she was, but he recovered quickly. He clasped his hands behind his back and squared his shoulders before speaking. "My name is Perun. I have a message from my Master."

Her gaze narrowed. "You're Anakin's Padawan?"

He nodded. Padmé smiled and sat down on one of the couches. "Threepio?" The droid returned to the room. "Would you mind bringing us some drinks?"

"Of course not, my Lady." She watched him leave, and then turned back to Perun, who was now shifting anxiously from foot to foot. "Come here," she said, indicating the space next to her. "You said Anakin sent a message."

She had been expecting a comm-link or datapad – a flimsy, at the very least. So when she boy started reciting the information, she had to stop him and ask him to repeat the first few sentences. "And could you speak a little slower, please?" she asked.

"Sorry, my Lady. I'm just afraid I'll forget a part." He took a deep breath and began again:

"Anakin regrets that he couldn't bring you this message himself, but he is being kept very busy at the Temple. And," he flushed slightly in embarrassment, "of course, now there's my training to consider. He wants me to learn how to memorize instructions quickly, so I'm starting with messages. He also wanted me to congratulate you on your recent election."

Padmé seriously doubted the last bit – she specifically hadn't mentioned her nomination to Anakin; he had enough to worry about – but she appreciated the flattery all the same. "Thank you. Will you give me a few minutes to think about a reply? Threepio should be back any moment."

Sure enough, the golden droid reappeared bearing drink choices for the Padawan. He was still puzzling over a cup of hoi-broth, apparently confused by the strange, bright green liquid, when Padmé came back.

"Careful with that," she warned, and he jerked his hand away from the glass. "It tastes something like boiled seaweed. Unless you like that sort of thing."

"Sounds like something they'd serve in an army mess," Perun replied, making a face. "Should I report back now?"

"Yes. Tell Anakin – and I mean this in the nicest way possible – that I think he's crazy. But Obi-Wan would have been proud of him, for taking on such a responsibility. I'm proud too. And… I understand.

"That's not too much to remember, right?"

Perun repeated everything back. "Alright then. I suppose you aught to return to the Temple now."

He nodded, and gave her a little bow before turning away.

* * *

"You could have warned me," Perun said as he threw himself down on the couch.

"Did anything happen?" Anakin called back.

"No. But it still would have been nice to know I was reporting to the Chancellor."

The next moment, Anakin was framed in the doorway, staring down at Perun with a mixture of shock and incredulity. "What?"

"Well, acting chancellor," he replied, completely misinterpreting his Master's surprise. "Last I heard, there was still all kinds of legal mess to go through, but someone had to take command of the senate, and Senator Amidala had a lot of support."

"So they made her Chancellor?"

"Yeah." Perun raised an eyebrow. "Why is that so hard to believe? She was already a queen."

"She's--" Anakin recovered himself just in time. How would he have explained the word 'pregnant' spilling out of his mouth? "She was a leader of the most outspoken group against Palpatine. Don't you think it's a little suspicious that she would take power after his death?"

Perun cocked his head a little to the left. "If you don't mind me saying, Master, _you_ were with Chancellor Palpatine when he died, and you're obviously very close with Chancellor Amidala. Don't you think _that's_ a little suspicious?"

Anakin was too taken aback to reprimand Perun for his forwardness. "Where did you hear that?" he asked. "Do people really think I was responsible?"

Perun shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't hear anything specific; no one tells the younglings much of anything until it's been confirmed. But… well, it's kind of obvious that the Council doesn't trust you, and… people talk."

Anakin sighed. "You're observant, Perun, and that's very good. But I have to ask you not to pursue the topic, alright?" Upon seeing his Padawan's slightly putout expression, he added, "I will explain all this to you, I promise. But first, I have to understand it."


	6. In which Anakin deceives the Council

__

_**Chapter Six --**_

_**In which ****Anakin**** deceives the Council****...**_

They settled into a sort of routine, and it took Anakin a few days to realize that it was the same one he'd followed under Obi-Wan's tutelage, at least at first. Although he felt slightly guilty about deviating from his teachings, it simply wasn't part of his nature to wake up at dawn the way Obi-Wan had, so after the first week of attempting (with limited success) to rise early and meditate, he started leaving Perun alone for that. When his Padawan was finished, Anakin would be waiting with tea for them.

So when a bleary-eyed Perun sat down across from him one morning still trying to smooth down his sleep-tousled hair, Anakin had to suppress a smile.

"You didn't meditate this morning."

Perun gave him a dark look. "You _never_ meditate in the morning. I don't see why I should have to get up if you're not going to."

"Then don't," Anakin replied simply. "I'm certainly not going to make you get up at the crack of dawn if you don't want to." He chuckled. "_I_ won't be awake to wake you."

Perun blinked rapidly as he tried to comprehend. "Why didn't you tell me in the first place that I didn't have to be getting up so early?"

Anakin shrugged. "You didn't ask."

Perun stared down into his cup, took a long sip of tea, and then said, "Forgive me, Master, but you are a bad man."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Obi-Wan made me get up at the crack of dawn every morning until I was sixteen."

"It does." He took another sip. "So where and who am I reporting to today? Med unit? Library?"

Anakin thought for a moment. "Back to Chancellor Amidala. And then I'll have a message for you to take to the Council."

Perun suddenly looked much more alert as he gazed rather suspiciously at Anakin. "But… you're on the Council. Why can't you tell them?"

It took all of Anakin's self control to keep his guilt off his face. "I'm afraid I'm going to be busy most of the day. I don't know when I'll be finished."

"Alright," Perun replied slowly, and Anakin felt another guilty twinge as he realized that his Padawan hadn't really bought his story. "What's the message?"

Anakin shook his head. "Not until after practice. I want to see you spar today." _Because I won't be around to check up on you the next few weeks. And who knows what the Council will say after that._

His Padawan groaned. "Master, with all due respect, I've still got bruises from last week."

"Then keep your guard up."

Perun attempted to glare, but the effect was diminished by his slight pout. "I take it back, Master. You are a _very_ bad man."

Anakin's laughter followed Perun as he went to retrieve his practice lightsaber.

* * *

Once Perun had left again, still muttering under his breath about the lingering pain from their spar, Anakin headed for the 'fresher and stared at his reflection for a long time. He'd already come to the conclusion that if he were to get off-planet to search for Grievous, he would have to be able to keep himself from being recognized.

Ten minutes later, the reflection that stared back at him had short hair and dark brown eyes. He wished he'd been able to do something about the burn scar on the right side of his face, but it was too late for healing now. Besides, until he got out of Coruscant he would be disguised as an Anomid, complete with robes and vocalizer mask. No one would suspect anything until he'd already gone.

And he could always mindtrick anyone who did.

With a final glance in the mirror to assess his new appearance, he turned to his next task. Whatever guilt he felt toward the Council was dwarfed by what he now felt for his Padawan. Despite his best efforts, he'd become incredibly fond of Perun for the time they'd trained together. It had been a struggle to restrain the building of a Force-bond between them, but it had been necessary to keep Perun from realizing his plans.

Once again, Anakin found himself wondering if Obi-Wan had felt the same inhibitions about taking him as a Padawan.

He took the datapad he'd recorded the day before out of his pocket and set it on the table for Perun. Then he wound the wrappings around his head, set the vocalizer mask in place – so vaping uncomfortable! – and left for the hanger bay._**  
**_

* * *

Senator Bail Organa was used to seeing message and errand boys in the reception hall, waiting to drop off whatever package or datapad they'd brought with them.

So naturally, he was puzzled when the boy he found waiting there was not carrying anything, and appeared to be sporting a short Padawan braid. What was a Jedi trainee doing here without his Master?

What was even stranger, the boy was muttering quietly to himself, repeating phrases over and over and correcting any variations. When he'd been sitting there for close to an hour, Bail was finally forced to ask about it.

The boy looked up when he was addressed. "I'm sorry, Senator," he said. "I hope I wasn't disturbing you."

"No, no of course not," Bail replied. "I've been waiting for her too. Chancellor Amidala has been very busy lately, and I'm afraid she hasn't been feeling very well."

"I know. My Master sends his regrets, and hopes that--" he broke off suddenly. "Sorry. Now I'm just repeating things out of habit."

"I take it your message was to be delivered in person?"

The boy nodded. Bail glanced at the closed door that led to Padmé's private office, then at the chrono on the wall. The Padawan's stomach rumbled, and he flushed so red with embarrassment that Bail had to smile.

"Tell you what," he said, drawing a blank datapad out of his pocket, "Why don't you let me record your message for you? I have a meeting with Chancellor Amidala later. I'll make sure she gets it."

He hesitated. "I'm pretty sure it was only meant for the Chancellor…"

Bail tried a new approach. "It's alright. I'm going to have to wait here for a while. But you must have other duties to attend to. I wouldn't want politics to interfere with your training. Or your lunch."

That got him. The kid stood up as straight as he could, faced Bail, and started to recite what he'd memorized.

Bail was glad he'd thought to record it. The cryptic nature of the message worried him._**  
**_

* * *

Perun waited impatiently for the lift to arrive, and nearly knocked over an Anomid in his haste to board the platform. He apologized to the alien, who continued on without reply, but Perun did not pause to give it too much thought. He had a very definite feeling that something was not right, and he was hoping to talk to his Master about it before Anakin got tied up with his other business.

He tried the door to their apartments, but found it already locked. "Kriff," he muttered, a phrase he'd picked up from Anakin, as he keyed in the access code.

On any normal day, R2-D2 would have wheeled over and started beeping as soon as he come in, but there was no sign of the astromech droid, and Perun wondered vaguely if that meant Anakin had taken Artoo with him. If he had, that would mean he was making more than just a routine trip around the Temple.

What was going on that he couldn't be told about?

There was a datapad on the table, which Perun assumed was the message Anakin wanted him to take to the Council. He briefly considered saving it until after he'd eaten something – after all, if Anakin was gone he'd never know if the message had been delivered ten minutes late – but pushed that thought aside in favor of duty and reached for the datapad's play button.

A hologram of his master appeared over the little computer chip, and even on the miniaturized face, Perun could see that Anakin had obviously been distressed when he recorded it. He leaned forward to examine the figure more closely as Anakin started speaking.

"I'm sorry, Perun. By the time you get this, I should be leaving the planet. But the less you know about that, the better. I'd take you with me if I could, but the mission I'm on is too dangerous for a Padawan." He paused here, glancing at something that Perun couldn't see – his bedroom door, perhaps? "I'm only going to ask you to do one last thing for me, Perun; take a message to the Council. 'I'm ready, and I'm going after him.'"

There was another pause, and Perun knew that Anakin had been trying to tell him something wordlessly, but he was too angry to care. He punched the off button a bit more forcefully than was necessary, and sat staring at the now blank datapad for a long time.

Then, finally, he stood up again and walked out of the room. Like it or not, he still had a duty to his Master._**  
**_

* * *

Mace Windu leaned back in his chair as the young boy in front of him finished delivering his short message. Perun had his hands clasped behind his back, but Mace could tell that he wanted to wring them together or tug nervously on his short braid.

"Do you know how long ago Anakin recorded the message?"

Perun shook his head. "I was gone all day, Master. He might even have made it last night."

There was a pause, then Perun looked up again. "Begging your pardon, Master, but where did he go?"

"That is not your concern, Initiate." Mace could feel the boy's anger flare up at the title, but he pressed on. "We will find Anakin Skywalker and bring him back here. You've done your duty, and we thank you for it. Return to your room and pack your things. Tomorrow you will report to the _Interceptor_ with the other Initiates being placed in the AgriCorps."

Perun's face had gone from incredulous to disappointed during Mace's speech, and it was a moment until he recognized the dismissal. Shakily, he bowed and left the chamber. Mace looked around at his fellows.

"So where do you think he's gone?" Stass Allie asked.

"After Grievous, of course," Kit replied. "He wants to end the war."

"No. Revenge, young Skywalker wants. Clouds his thinking, it does."

"Exactly." Mace folded his hands together in a determined sort of way. "Grievous' coordinates haven't been tracked yet; we still don't know where he's hiding. We've seen what Anakin's recklessness and rage can lead to. I, for one, refuse to let him travel the galaxy in that state."

There were nods and murmurs of agreement around the room. "So," Agan Kolar asked, "back to the original question: Where do you suppose he's going?"

"Utapau. It's Grievous' last known location," Mace replied. "We can have clone troops intercept him there."

"Assuming, of course," Kit murmured quietly, "that he doesn't expect that."_**  
**_

* * *

It was late when Kit finally finished with the Council, but he did not go straight to his rooms. Instead, he turned right upon exiting the turbo-lift and headed for Anakin's apartment. He entered the code that he'd been given earlier in the week and stepped into the room.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he found Perun asleep in his bed. He'd half expected the child to run away and try to follow his master, and really, how would Kit explain _that_ to Anakin? "I tried to keep an eye on your Padawan, but I was spending all my time at pointless Council meetings discussing how to find _you_." It sounded silly even in his head.

But no, Perun was safe for the night, and tomorrow he would be going to the AgriCorps. Under any other circumstance, Kit would have tried to change the boy's assignment, but he was getting a very strong feeling from the Force that this was right.

He was just about to leave when an abandoned datapad caught his eye, specifically the small, blinking green light that indicated the message it contained had only been partially retrieved. After adjusting the volume so as not to wake Perun, he set the miniature Anakin back on the table and listened to the end of the message."

"I will come back, Perun. You will be a Jedi, I promise."_**  
**_

* * *

Anakin stared at his controls as he entered hyperspace, almost unable to believe that his escape had been as flawless as he'd planned. Now he was heading for Utapau, and answers. And from there… well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

"I'm coming, Master," he thought aloud, as his ship guided him toward Obi-Wan's lingering Force-presence. "I'm on my way."


	7. In which ObiWan returns

__

_**Chapter Seven --**_

_**In which Obi-Wan returns...**_

Anakin had never encountered an apparition before. So naturally, when the shimmering blue form of Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared in front of him, he thought he was dreaming.

The ghost said, "This is not a dream, Anakin."

"Right," Anakin replied. "And I'm actually flying out to have tea with the Queen of the Hutts."

Obi-Wan reached out and put a hand on Anakin's shoulder. The knight gasped; it was – well, solid was not the word, but he could _feel_ it. Anakin stared, open-mouthed, and Obi-Wan smiled softly.

"Like I said, Anakin, you're not dreaming."

It took another moment for Anakin to regain control of his voice. "Are you… a ghost?"

Obi-Wan spread his arms to indicate something far larger than himself. "I am one with the Force."

Anakin could not say that he understood, but he nodded anyway. Obi-Wan sat in the copilot's chair and pretended to inspect the navigation controls. "Utapau," he said after a moment, and Anakin nodded gravely. "You know that Grievous isn't even in the system anymore?"

"Yes, but I have to start somewhere, and the Force was urging me towards Utapau." He looked at Obi-Wan. "Unless you have a better plan?"

"Can't say that I do."

They sat in companionable silence for a while, and then Anakin looked up and asked, "Obi-Wan, what's it like to die?"

"Ah now, that's a very difficult concept to explain. Let us simply suffice to say that it was peaceful. Does that help?"

"Not really."

Obi-Wan reached over to grip Anakin's shoulder again. "You will understand one day. But I sincerely hope that it's a long time before that day comes for you."

Anakin sighed, and reached up to clasp Obi-Wan's semi-transparent hand in his own, assuring himself that his friend was really there. His next words were chocked with emotion, but he forced them out. "You said it was peaceful?"

Obi-Wan nodded.

"And you're… happy?"

Anakin had the briefest impression of other spirits surrounding his Master: Qui-Gon Jinn, Siri Tachi… but they vanished again before Anakin could be sure they'd even existed in the first place. When he looked back at Obi-Wan, he saw the pure, genuine smile he'd grown up with; the kind Obi-Wan had worn before the war. Shakily, Anakin smiled back.

"Then I am glad for you, Master."

* * *

"Oh good, you're alive. Do you take milk in your tea?"

"Huh?" Perun was barely awake enough to understand the question, let alone why Master Fisto was there to ask it.

"Do you take milk in your tea? I know it's a rare taste among humans, but it's what I've always preferred."

"Erm… alright." Perun slumped into his chair and stared at the nautolan as he stirred the pale liquid – (_White milk_, a part of his brain registered. _How strange. Master Skywalker always kept blue_.) – into the cup, followed by a generous spoonful of honey. "Master Fisto, forgive me for asking, but… what are you doing here?"

"Since I do not have a class to teach, I've been asked to escort all the Corps initiates to their transports. And Anakin requested that I keep an eye on you."

"Oh." Perun couldn't be sure whether he was disappointed or relieved to discover that it was nothing out of the ordinary. He accepted the tea that Kit handed him, took a sip, and nearly chocked on the oversweet drink. The nautolan grinned over the rim of his cup. "Not quite to your tastes?" he asked.

"It's… different." Slightly more prepared this time, Perun tried another sip. He tasted several strange and exotic herbs… Koi-Vy, maybe? He knew that was native to Glee Anselem…

"Did you know Master Kenobi at all, Perun?"

Caught off-guard by the blatant nature of the question, Perun stuttered a bit before responding, "No, not very well. Why?"

"Because I did," Kit replied, his signature smile still in place. "And you looked so much like him just now when you were thinking."

Unable to come up with a suitable response, Perun just said "oh" again. He stared down into his cup, knowing that Kit was still watching him. Finally, he ventured a question. "Master Fisto, if it's not too bold… _you_ don't have a Padawan. Do you think you could…?" But Kit was shaking his head before Perun had even finished.

"I'm sorry. But you already have a Master, Perun. And I firmly believe that Anakin has every intention of coming back for you."

"But I'm being sent to the _AgriCorps_!" Perun insisted. "What if he doesn't come back? Am I supposed to be a _farmer_ when what the Republic needs is Jedi Knights?"

"Yes, Perun." Although he was still smiling, Kit's expression was almost deadly serious. "Everything that has happened has happened because it is the will of the Force. There's a reason for everything; your assignment has a reason too. Do you know where the AgriCorps initiates are being sent?"

Perun shook his head, and Kit's joking smile spread a little wider. "Well," he continued, "It seems a bunch of clones all but crash landed on Utapau, destroying whatever limited agriculture the planet had."

"Utapau…" Perun turned the word over in his mind. He was sure he'd heard it once or twice before…

"Master Fisto," he asked slowly, "are you saying that Master Skywalker went to Utapau also?"

"I might be." Kit leaned forward, meeting Perun's gaze steadily. "Listen to me, Padawan. You _must_ find Anakin. I think that, right now, you're the only who can talk sense into him."

Perun hesitated. "Why me?"

Kit's smile turned sad for just a moment. "Probably because you're so much like Obi-Wan was."

Perun thought about this, and about his raw, broken Force-bond. "But, if I remind him of… I don't want to cause him pain."

Kit sighed. "A valid concern. But it's not something that you have any control over, nor something you can address immediately, so I wouldn't worry too much about it." He stood up suddenly. "Finish your tea, and eat something if you can. The _Interceptor_ leaves in half an hour. I'll come back for you then."

* * *

"Master?"

"Yes, Anakin?"

"How much longer will it take to reach Utapau?"

Obi-Wan inspected the controls. "Five days; a week, at most. You didn't exactly steal the fastest ship."

"I took what was available." Anakin glanced around the small living space. "I'm going to go crazy if I'm here for another week."

"Are you sure you haven't already?" Obi-Wan joked.

"No." Anakin slumped defeatedly into a chair. "I'm not sure of anything anymore, Master."

* * *

Perun refrained from trying to make friends with the other AgriCorps initiates. Better that he didn't have anyone trying to hold him back – or worse, follow him – when he ran away.

And he _was_ going to run once they landed. He didn't know how long Anakin would be on Utapau. If his Master left before Perun could find him…

He refused to think about it. He supposed he could always go back to the Corps, but he knew it wouldn't exactly be a warm welcome.

Perun wandered the ship continually. He'd taken to hanging out around the bridge, talking to the clone troopers who were piloting the craft. Most of them seemed to appreciate his company; or at least, they didn't try to send him away as long as he kept quiet and out of the way while they worked. In fact, after the third day, the clones pretty much ignored Perun unless he got underfoot.

Which was how he found himself in his current position, pressed up against a steel wall while a group of troopers filed past.

"Can't believe they've got us babysitting Padawans," one of them complained. "Is this what they've got planned for us after the war?"

"Dunno," his companion replied. "But I suppose we'll find out soon enough. You heard Cody's company tracked Grievous to the Mustafar system?"

"No. I take it they're sending in ARCs?"

The conversation faded as the clones moved down the hallway, and Perun continued in the direction he'd been going. But he made a mental note of the numbers printed on the clones' shirts.

He had a good feeling that they had the information he'd need.

* * *

"Eat your vegetables, Anakin."

The knight stared at the unappetizing greens in front of him. "You'd think that with all the collective wisdom of the Jedi Council, they could find a better way to freeze-dry food."

"And you would think that, as a Jedi, you would understand the importance of eating your vegetables."

Anakin glared. "Omnipotent Force-Ghost, and you're hanging around to manage my diet."

"Someone has to."

"You sound like my mother." Something flickered in Anakin's eyes as he realized something. "Obi-Wan, you're dead--"

"Very good, Anakin," the Ghost interjected.

"Can you talk to her? Ask her to appear?"

"I'm afraid it doesn't quite work that way. But I can try to find her."

"Tell her I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. I should have come back sooner. Tell her--" But Obi-Wan held up a hand to cut him off.

"I'm sorry, Anakin; I can't do that. It's more vague feelings that I can pick up rather than actual thoughts. But I will try."

There was a long silence, during which Anakin watched Obi-Wan intently. Then, very suddenly, the ghost's face split into a wide, slightly smug grin.

"She loves you, Anakin; there is nothing to forgive. And she thinks you should eat your vegetables."

* * *

Padmé breathed a relieved sigh when her last audience of the day was revealed to be Bail Organa. "Blessed Deity," she said with what felt like her first genuine smile in days. "I was afraid you'd be another barrister. They kept me for _hours_ yesterday."

"Is that why you had to cancel our meeting?"

"Well, yes and no," Padmé conceded. "I hope you weren't too offended. I wasn't feeling particularly well yesterday. I didn't even stay awake long enough to watch the HoloNews last night."

"What a shame," Bail replied. "You missed a very interesting story."

"Oh? Anything I should know about?"

Bail stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Apparently Anakin Skywalker has disappeared on some sort of personal quest, but the Jedi are keeping very quiet about it. Which reminds me – are you alright, Padmé?"

She'd frozen in place and gone pale at the mention of Anakin's name, but she recovered well. "Fine, I'm fine, Bail. You were saying?"

The senator did not look very convinced, but he continued anyway. "Skywalker's Padawan was here yesterday with a message for you. I recorded it, if you have a minute to listen."

"Of course."

Bail took the datapad from his pocket and laid it on the table. A miniature version of Perun appeared in the center, staring up at the ceiling as he recited. "Anakin sends his regrets, and he hopes that you will forgive him for sending me here without much notice. He also regrets that he probably won't return in time for the event." Perun paused here, no doubt wondering about Anakin's careful wording. "Stay healthy, stay safe. He hopes he'll be able to see you again soon."

The hologram blinked off, and Padmé looked up to meet Bail's concerned gaze. "What's going on, Padmé? What's this 'event' he's talking about?"

"I don't know," she said. "Anakin often gives Perun rather convoluted messages to test his memory."

"Don't lie to me, Padmé. You know that people are starting to whisper about your connection to certain Jedi. How long do you think it will be until they begin to shout instead of whisper?"

A wave of unexpectedly powerful emotions swept over Padmé, forcing her to look away and blink back tears. "I don't know, Bail."

The senator stood and stepped around the desk so he could put a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't a politician talking. I'm speaking to you as a friend, Padmé. I'm worried about you. Please, let me help."

The baby kicked against her stomach, as though urging her to accept Bail's offer. She sighed quietly.

"If you're willing to speak as a friend, Bail, then I will trust you as a friend. But I can't explain here."

"Tell me when, Padmé."

She considered for a moment, then told him, "Tomorrow. You can come by the apartment for lunch."

Bail nodded. "Alright, I'll be there. Tomorrow, we can be friends. But I'm afraid I do still have some business that must be taken care of today."

Padmé groaned inwardly. "Never a dull moment, is there?"

She supposed it was at least good that her companion was laughing.

* * *

"Anakin, are you feeling alright?"

"Just a headache, Master."

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding. "It hurts, to have a Force-bond shattered so suddenly. But it's going to hurt more to try to maintain a broken one."


	8. In which Perun and Anakin are reunited

_**Chapter Eight --**_

_**In which Anakin and Perun are reunited...**_

"Everyone's staring at me."

"That's because you appear to be talking to thin air."

Anakin glanced at his former Master. "You're not helping."

"You can always do this on your own."

"No!" Two months ago, Anakin might have felt ashamed of relying on Obi-Wan's advice, but not now. "I need your guidance, Master."

"I'm flattered, Anakin, but that's not true. You have the Force to guide you."

"And it's been so helpful in the past," Anakin muttered mutinously. "I have no idea what I'm doing here."

"You mean here on Utapau, or here in the cave?"

Anakin glared. "Pick one."

"Well, you need to traverse the city, don't you? A speeder bike simply isn't practical here."

Anakin grimaced; what Obi-Wan called practical, he called suicide. "You're sure these things aren't going to eat me?"

"Of course not," Obi-Wan replied. "They're herbivorous."

One of the dragonmounts approached the Jedi, and Anakin eyed the wickedly curved beak warily. "Offer her some greens," Obi-Wan suggested.

"Not on your life."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.

"Fine!" Anakin snatched a handful of the broad leaves and held them out to the animal. Before she accepted them though, she cocked her head to one side, then the other, apparently appraising Anakin. Then she brought her head very close to Anakin's and blew a gust of strong smelling breath through Anakin's hair. Obi-Wan laughed as Anakin stumbled backward, dropping the greens at the unperturbed dragonmount's feet.

"You must smell like me, to get a reaction like that."

Anakin glared again, which only caused Obi-Wan to laugh harder. "I'm so glad you're amused, Master."

"Forgive me, Anakin. But it's been far too long since I've been able to tease you." He gave Anakin a final, affectionate smile, and patted the dragonmount's nose softly. "Her name is Boga. May she bear you to better adventures than she bore me."

"Obi-Wan, wait--" But it was too late; Obi-Wan had disappeared again. Anakin sighed as he motioned over one of the Utai wranglers.

"I have a bad feeling about this."_**  
**_

* * *

"I have a bad feeling about this," Perun muttered to himself as he ducked around a corner to avoid a pair of passing clone troopers. They weren't looking for him yet, but it was only a matter of time before his disappearance was reported, and he had to get far away from base before that happened.

He continued forward, sliding along the cliff-face and keeping to whatever shadows he could find. All his senses were on high alert. He could smell what he assumed was the lair of one of the indigenous species… feel the harsh winds that gusted down from the planet's surface… hear the distant curses of some unfortunate rider as he struggled to control his dragonmount…

The Force screamed a warning just in time for Perun to step out of the way. The rider landed in a heap on the platform. Perun was impressed; a six-story fall would have killed most people.

"Brix!"

Perun blinked. He knew that voice! "Master Skywalker!"

Anakin was not listening; he was too busy glaring up at the dragonmount (who looked innocently back at her fallen rider) and continuing to curse the creature. "Sithspawn!"

"Master Skywalker?"

The Jedi was now looking to his right, speaking to… well, Perun couldn't see anything besides open air. "I don't care if it's _nice_!" He paused. "Yes, I suppose you would think this is funny."

Perun stepped into the empty space. Anakin, who had just managed to push himself into a sitting position, jumped backward. "By the Force-- Perun, don't do that--" He stopped and blinked, as if just registering Perun's presence. "Perun? What are you doing here?"

"They sent me here with the AgriCorps," Perun explained. "Master Fisto told me you were here, so I came looking for you."

"Perun…" Anakin still seemed to be recovering from shock. "You have to understand… I'm going after General Grievous. I _can't_ take you with me."

"But I know where he is."

Anakin stood up, and gave Perun a suspicious look. "What do you mean?"

Perun repeated the steam of coordinates he'd overheard while on the _Interceptor_.

"Woah, hang on a sec." Anakin began fumbling through his pockets. "I've got a datapad here somewhere… alright, repeat that."

Perun stood resolutely and crossed his arms over his chest. "With all due respect, Master, if you want those coordinates then you have to take me with you."

Anakin fixed Perun with what he hoped was a stern, Masterly look. Then his eyes locked on something just above Perun's head. "Whether or not I would have done the same thing is beside the point. This is far too dangerous."

He sighed. "Yes, I know I made a commitment-- Ow!" The dragonmount had finally come down the cliff and chose that moment to nudge Anakin in the back. "Stupid slimy vaping…"

Perun stared openly. Was Anakin talking… to himself?

There were more clones coming down the pathway. Master and Padawan looked at each other, both convinced that they were being searched for. Then Anakin swung himself up into the saddle – with a distinct grimace, Perun noticed – and reached down to pull Perun up in front of him.

"Come on, Padawan," he said, handing Perun the reigns. "I hope you're better at this than I am."

Perun nodded and urged the dragonmount forward and up the wall. He supposed that even if Anakin was crazy, it was still better than the AgriCorps.

Besides, it was bound to make things more interesting.

* * *

Padmé chewed her bottom lip nervously. She faced the broad window, her back to the door as it slid open to admit Bail Organa. Threepio bustled over, offering the senator refreshments, but Padmé sent him away again without turning her attention from the cityscape before her.

"Alright, Padmé," Bail said, once the droid had left to power down. "What is it that's been bothering you lately?"

She sighed. "I need your help, Bail. I'll understand if you can't, but you must at least keep my secret."

"We've been friends for too long for me to refuse."

"I'm glad." Finally, she turned to face him. "I'm pregnant, Bail."

He stared; she couldn't blame him. Instead of the draping senatorial robes she usually wore, today she was dressed in a simple, off-white tunic, and it made her figure rather obvious. Hesitantly, he stepped forward to stand beside her and placed a hand on her stomach.

The baby kicked.

"You've been hiding this for a long time," he finally replied, and she nodded solemnly. "How long?"

"I haven't gotten an exact date from a med-droid yet, but it's been at least six months. Maybe seven."

He nodded, apparently thinking. "You said you've been feeling ill lately. Are you well enough to travel?"

"If I need to be, I will."

Bail met her determined gaze. "I know of a facility on Alderaan… they'll be entirely discreet. But we'll have to go quickly."

"I can have my business here wrapped up in a week. Dormé can hold my place in the senate. No one will know the difference."

"Then I will begin making my preparations as well."

"Thank you, Bail."

They both turned back to the window, and stood in companionable silence for a moment. Then Bail asked the only question that Padmé had hoped he wouldn't.

"Anakin Skywalker is the father, isn't he?"

She didn't answer. She didn't need to.

"I hope he's alright."

"Me too," Padmé replied.

* * *

Anakin was grateful to get Boga back to her handlers. She honked at his and Perun's retreating backs in a vaguely apologetic manner, but Anakin also got a distinct impression of humor… then again, that may have been Obi-Wan.

_If this is the will of the Force, I hope you're happy_, he thought, though he was not yet sure if Obi-Wan could hear him this way. _I'm going after the most dangerous leader of the Separatist movement, and I'm taking a fourteen-year-old boy with me._

It suddenly occurred to Anakin that Perun did not even have a lightsaber. They would have to build one en route, and that would mean going to Illum for a crystal…

Unless they could build one of those too. He'd read about the technique once, and he was reasonably sure that Obi-Wan, with his newfound Force-knowledge, could help them. He bent down and picked a promising looking rock from the ground.

"What's that for?" Perun asked.

"You'll see." By this point, they'd reached the landing platform where Anakin had left his borrowed ship. Anakin stopped dead in his tracks. Six clones were guarding the ship, and one had spotted them. Anakin swore again, but with no other options available, he started walking forward.

"My name is Ben Lars," he said, making an almost imperceptible hand gesture, "and I think you've been assigned to the wrong ship."

The two clones closest to him looked ready to move aside, but the others didn't seem as convinced. Anakin was just raising his hand to try a second statement when one of them tapped him in the back with the butt of his blaster. "Stang," Anakin muttered, reflecting that he was running out of curse words for his current situation.

"Good try, General Skywalker, but we were already told to watch for you. Council wants you back on Coruscant for--" he never finished, because Anakin's hand shot out and gripped the clone's neck in the space between helmet and chest armor, aiming for a pressure point.

"Hey!" Another clone delivered a less friendly blow to Anakin's head, and the Jedi swore again as the other five drew their blasters; three pointed at him, and two at a very confused looking Perun.

Anakin's lightsaber flashed to life in his hand. _Padawan_ – the boy jumped as Anakin addressed him over their bond for the first time – _when I say go, run for this ship, and open the loading ramp. Quickly._

There was a brief hesitation before Perun nodded.

"Go!" Blaster fire, thankfully only set to stun, erupted around them. Anakin fended off the blue bolts as best he could, trying at the same time to cover Perun and to keep his strokes from being lethal. Three of the clones fell, hit by their own deflected fire; a fourth went down when Anakin's 'saber hilt connected solidly with his head.

The ramp was down now. Anakin looked at the two remaining troopers and breathed an inward sigh of relief; they were still slightly dazed from the mindtrick. He deactivated his lightsaber and started to run to the ship. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "You have no tracking devices."

"We have no tracking devices," he heard from behind him as he jumped onto the ramp. "Oh man, Cody's gonna kill us!"

Anakin ran for the cockpit. Perun was already strapped into the copilot's seat, running pre-flight checks. "No time," Anakin said. "Just enter those coordinates and start calculating the jump."

"Already done, Master."

Anakin spared half a glance at the nav-computer, saw the Perun was correct, and then pulled on the throttle and eased them up into the atmosphere.

They didn't speak again until they were safely in hyperspace. "Well, Padawan," Anakin asked, leaning back in his chair, "what did you learn from all this?"

Perun grinned mischievously. "Well for starters, I learned that my Master has a very impressive vocabulary."


	9. In which Perun meets ObiWan

__

_**Chapter Nine --**_

_**In which Perun meets Obi-Wan...**_

The interior of the ship was still almost unbearably small, but Anakin somehow found it much more comfortable with the addition of Perun's presence on board. It certainly made life easier too; now that he didn't have to constantly monitor the controls, Anakin was able to sleep peacefully for the first time in weeks, and he was loath to rise from it.

_All's well, Master_, Perun replied, and Anakin smiled to himself. Now that he'd stopped trying to block their bond, it had matured into a warm, steady presence in the back of his mind.

_Still on course?_

_And sailing smoothly,_ was the boy's response. _You aught to go back to sleep, Master. You need it._

Anakin would not contest that. He closed his eyes again, fully intending to drift back into blissful, dreamless sleep.

Then, very suddenly, peace turned to panic, and Anakin heard his Padawan scream from the bridge.

_Perun? What's wrong?_

He got no response. Throwing off his blankets, Anakin raced toward his apprentice, fully prepared for the worst.

It was not the worst. It was Obi-Wan.

"I'm sorry, Anakin," the ghost said calmly. "I appear to have frightened your Padawan."

Anakin leaned wearily against the doorframe. "It's alright. Not like I was sleeping or anything."

"Good," Obi-Wan replied, either missing or purposefully ignoring Anakin's sarcasm. "I wanted to talk to you about the--"

"Excuse me." Perun's green eyes were wide as he continued to stare at Obi-Wan. "Would someone like to explain to me what's going on?"

Anakin gestured at the shimmering blue form. "Perun, I'd like you to meet Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Perun blinked. "The one who died?"

"The very same," Obi-Wan replied.

There was another long moment of silence, and then Anakin heard a voice in the back of his mind inquire, _Master, have I gone mad too?_

_No, you haven't gone mad. And what do you mean 'too'?_

Perun grinned impishly.

"Stars and stones," Obi-Wan muttered, shaking his head. "Of all the things to teach a Padawan, you chose sarcasm."

* * *

_Pitiful_, Grievous thought, eying the cowering Nemoidians assembled before him. "How strong is this base?" he demanded.

"Secure enough for communications," the Viceroy replied, "But we lack the ability to mount any kind of serious attack, even defensive."

Grievous waved a mechanical hand dismissively and pushed past the amphibians. "That will suffice. I must have a communication set up with--"

"But General, we must evacuate now."

"Why?" Grievous was pleased to note that although the alien gulped audibly, he met the hard, yellow-eyed stare evenly.

"We think your ship was tracked here."

"What?!" he roared, and stormed back toward his ship. _Impossible!_ _Absurd!_ He found the device, ripped it free, and examined it carefully before crushing it in his firm metallic grip. "Jedi scum," he hissed, then turned back to the Nemoidian still watching him. "How long until this base can be moved?"

"Evacuations can begin immediately, but there is data that must be sent to other bases, and confidential files that must be destroyed--"

Grievous took a step forward, and the alien's words became indistinct mumblings. "How long?" he repeated.

"Three weeks."

"Then find me someone who can do it in two." He stalked down the platform and into the command center. "We must be gone before the Jedi arrive."

* * *

"Anakin, are you sure you know what you're doing?"

The Jedi did not take his eyes off of the circuit breaker he was rewiring. "Do you have a suggestion?"

"Yes. Take the boy to Illum and find a nice crystal in the caves there. You'll save yourself a lot of trouble."

"But we'll loose a lot of time."

Perun, intent on his own set of wires, asked quietly, "Forgive me, Master, but why is it so important that we find Grievous? Can't the GAR handle him?"

"Obviously not," Anakin replied. "It's the same story every time; the army goes in, cuts through the droid lines, Grievous escapes, and the war goes on." He snapped a cover back into place. "If we can find him, we can end the war. I know it."

"We?" Perun asked. "With all due respect, Master, I'm not going to be much help against Grievous."

"And we're going to change that. You ready with that rock?"

"Yeah." He started to hand it to Anakin, confusion written over his face, but Anakin shook his head and simply replied, "I did my part."

"Oh, right." Perun glanced at the mess of wires and the small reactor set into the wall. Normally, it would be used to warm up certain chemicals that required heat as a catalyst, but Anakin - for reasons unknown - had begun rewiring it the day before. "And what, exactly, did you do?"

"Rerouted some of the power from the engines so we could get the temperature high enough to build a crystal." He paused with his hand over the power control. "I just hope I didn't divert too much."

"Master, wait--" But Anakin had already flipped the switch. Perun shut his eyes, fully expecting some sort of explosion, and did not open them again until he heard Anakin chuckle.

"Now for the fun part."

Perun glanced up at his Master. "Define 'fun'."

"His kind of fun, actually," Anakin replied, pointing at Obi-Wan. "And by that, I mean you'll be meditating for a while."

"Great," Perun replied. "And what exactly am I meant to be meditating on?"

"Everything," Obi-Wan said. "You'll be imbuing the crystal with the Force, and that means that it will reflect who you are." Then, correctly interpreting the expression on Perun's face, he added, "It's a daunting task for any Jedi, let alone a Padawan. Anakin and I will guide you as best we can."

The heat from the oven flared up suddenly. For a brief moment, Anakin looked surprised, but he gave his Padawan an encouraging smile nonetheless.

Perun drew in a deep breath before bringing his hand as close as he dared to the heat and tossing his stone gently inside. Then, with Anakin's steady hand on his shoulder and Master Kenobi's reverent Force-presence around him, he settled cross-legged on the floor, and began.

* * *

_There is no emotion..._

The first thing he let go was his fear. He had his Master, and he knew that Anakin would not let any harm come to him. He trusted Anakin. Through the Force, he felt a ripple of assent, and he allowed himself a small smile; Anakin trusted him too.

Next was anger. Although he hadn't wanted to admit it, he'd been angry with Anakin for leaving him behind. He'd been angry with the Council for reassigning him so carelessly. He supposed he was even slightly angry with Obi-Wan, since it was his connection to his former Padawan that kept Anakin from really letting Perun into his life. Or maybe that was jealousy... either way, he let that go too.

_There is peace..._

He thought about the Room of a Thousand Fountains, could picture every detail as clearly as if he were sitting there. Anakin had showed him a little alcove behind one of the waterfalls which he thought might be his favorite place in the galaxy. The sound of the water flowing by was just loud enough to block out any other noise, and the spray thrown up as it crashed into the pool below was soft and cool, perfect for relaxing after saber practice. Best of all though, it was secret. If he hid there, only Anakin knew where to find him.

_There is no passion..._

In the few weeks that he'd known Anakin, he'd realized that his Master lived every day with more conviction than he'd ever encountered. He thought about their sparring sessions, and the light that came into Anakin's eyes when Perun successfully performed a new or difficult maneuver.

It had not escaped his notice that the same light and smile graced his features whenever Perun reported back with a message from Chancellor Amidala. He'd never asked Anakin about it because, quite frankly, it wasn't his business, but he kept his suspicions all the same.

_There is serenity..._

Yoda and the other crèche Masters had always demanded quiet. After he met Anakin, that whole idea was basically thrown out the window. His first impression of Anakin's teaching was being sent into the busy skylanes of Coruscant. And then, of course, there was their shared 'saber practice. As much as Perun enjoyed sparring with Anakin, there was no doubt that his Master could be frightening at times. He screamed constantly, and actually encouraged Perun to do the same (he knew Master Drallig would be horrified if he found out).

Even daily chores, something as simple as moving around the apartment, Anakin made noise. Just knowing that his Master was there had become a comfort. The night that Anakin had left had been entirely peaceful, but Perun couldn't say he'd enjoyed it.

_There is no ignorance..._

Some things, he knew, he wasn't meant to understand fully: hyperspace, the Force, why the name St_ee_ve was so much fun to say...

Or why there was a hand on his shoulder, attempting to distract him from what felt like the most important thought of his life.

"Perun..." He heard his Master's words as though they came from very far away. "You've been sitting there for close to twelve hours. Come eat something."

A final shake jolted him from his reverie. He blinked dazedly up at Anakin, who was shaking his head and smiling with some combination of wonder and amusement. "You've got more patience than I'll ever have," he told Perun. "Honestly, I would have been bored out of my mind hours ago."

Perun started to reply, then winced as he stretched out legs that were cramped from being still so long. Anakin chucked as he helped Perun up and over to a chair.

"Where is Master Kenobi?" Perun asked, once he'd found his voice again.

"I have no idea," Anakin replied. "He comes and goes on his own schedule. Apparently he can't really interpret time in his current state." He placed several slices of jerked bantha meat in front of Perun, who accepted it gratefully even though he did not like the spices rubbed into it for flavor. "And how are you doing? Making progress?"

"I have no idea," Perun replied, only slightly sarcastic. "Of course, I'm not really sure how I'd know."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." He handed Perun a cup of water. "Drink. I don't want you passing out while you're working."

"Don't worry, Master. It's not on my agenda either." He drained his glass while Anakin leaned casually against the doorframe, munching his own piece of jerky. He was just reaching for a second when Perun got up and began searching the cabinets for other, slightly more nutritious food.

"Thought I got rid of those," Anakin muttered as Perun pulled a packet of dried celto out and set into a steamer to cook. If Perun heard, he chose to ignore Anakin, and a minute later offered a helping to his Master.

"You know, you really should eat your vegetables..."

They both felt the laughter echo through the Force, and Anakin, reasonably sure that meant Obi-Wan had been listening, glared at the ceiling.

"I'm so glad you find this amusing."

* * *

Cody was a clone. He followed all orders to the letter and without question. But he was also human enough to regret the conversation that had just taken place.

"He attacked my men, General," Cody reported, passing on the information he'd received from the troops still on Utapau. "And we think he may have kidnapped one of the AgriCorps initiates."

Master Windu bowed his head. "I was afraid something like this might happen."

Cody waited a moment. Then, when he realized that the General was not going to elaborate, prompted, "Orders, sir?"

The Jedi looked up. "Find him," he said simply.

"And? Skywalker is now, in the eyes of the Senate and the GAR, a traitor to the Republic. How do you want him dealt with?"

"Just find him. That's your only assignment, Commander." He sat up a little straighter in his chair. "I'm deploying you and your five best men to join the 512th over Mustafar. We think that is where Anakin his heading."

Cody bit back the urge to ask why. "Yes sir. I'll assemble them now. We can leave within the hour." He saluted, and walked out of the room with a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. They were so close to winning the war, and now they had a rogue Jedi to deal with...

He wondered idly if it would be too much to ask for a lightsaber.

* * *

_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge..._

He knew the exact size, weight and shape that he was supposed to form the crystal into. He'd studied diagrams of the molecular structure. Anakin had even gone so far as to offer to take apart his own saber and show Perun the crystal inside, but he'd quickly assured his Master that wasn't necessary.

Now, he put all of this together in his mind, picturing each piece of information side by side. If he reached out far enough in the Force, he could almost feel the crystal as part of himself. It glowed with a soft light that pulsed in time with his heartbeat. In rhythm with his breathing, it expanded and contracted minutely. He used that focus to shape it, to pull the threads of individual molecules, and wove them together.

_There is no death..._

Obi-Wan's presence washed over him like water. "You are almost finished, Perun. It just needs time now."

Perun let out a long, slow breath. "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

He felt more than heard something like a soft sigh. "You know I will not always be able to help you, even if I would like to."

"I understand, Master."

"Then you must help Anakin to understand also," Obi-Wan said sadly. "He will need you, Perun, the same way I needed him."

_There is the Force..._

He breathed in, and for one glorious moment he was aware not only of himself, but of Anakin, of Obi-Wan, of the ship, it's trajectory, the stars, the vastness of space--

And then he was back on his knees before the reactor, the heat dissipating slowly. Instinctively, he reached out for his crystal, and turned it over gently in his hand.


	10. In which a battle begins over Mustafar

_**Chapter Ten --**_

_**In which a battle begins over Mustafar...**_

For the first few years that Anakin had known him, Obi-Wan had smiled very little. Anakin lived for those smiles, because it meant he'd done something right.

Now, he was beginning to understand how those moments had made Obi-Wan feel, and why they coaxed out the rare grin.

Perun was just pushing himself to his knees when Anakin came in. He handed his apprentice a cup of water, which Perun accepted one-handed, his other hand still wrapped almost reverently around the crystal. Anakin waited until he'd placed the empty cup on the floor before giving Perun the other item he carried.

"It's not perfect," Anakin said, as Perun took the 'saber hilt from him. "I had to improvise some of the parts, and I didn't have time to polish it, but it'll do the job."

Perun didn't reply. Anakin had a feeling that the boy was at a loss for words... or just plain exhausted. When Perun tried to stand up, Anakin put a hand on his shoulder, and knelt down next to him.

"The crystal goes here," he said, indicating the points of contact. "And this is the power supply. You'll need to give it an initial charge."

"With the Force?"

Anakin nodded.

"Why do I have a feeling this means more meditating?"

The Jedi chuckled as he led his apprentice to the workbench.

* * *

Republic starships were appearing in the sky over Mustafar. Grievous narrowed his eyes as he studied the formation. This was a scouting party, but he suspected that the army would not be far behind.

"Viceroy!" The Nemoidian's head snapped up. "Change of plans. No more ships will leave this base."

"But the evacuations--"

"Do you see those ships, Viceroy?" Grievous asked. "I believe you know something about blockades. Consider us officially under siege, and send a transmission through requesting backup troops from--"

"From who? We have not heard from Lord Sidious. All our directives are meant to come--"

"Sidious appointed _me_ general!" the bio-droid roared, resisting the urge to wheeze and loose the upper hand. "If he does not contact us, then I will give orders."

For a second, the viceroy looked like he might protest, then he bowed his head respectfully. "Where shall I patch the transmission through to?"

Grievous considered. "There is a droid fleet over Noixxarb. They are closest. Yes, set up a transmission, and I shall have them send..."

He walked inside, still mumbling plans to himself.

Nute Gunrey looked up at the ships blinking one by one into existence. He gulped audibly, then hurried after the general.

* * *

Family was held in the highest regard on Naboo. In the back of her mind, Padmè was vaguely disgusted by the idea that her child would not be born on her homeworld, surrounded by his kin. In fact, she could not think of a more lonesome way to enter the world, born in secrecy, without even a father's blessing to welcome him.

As if reading her thoughts, Bail turned to her and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You know why it has to be this way."

She nodded, suddenly unable to respond as the ship gave another uncomfortable lurch and her stomach followed suit. This, among other reasons, was why she hated taking public transports. There was a green light blinking over one of the computers, and she wondered vaguely if her face was a similar shade. She certainly felt like it was.

Once again, Bail put a steadying hand on her shoulder and guided her over to one of the viewports. There wasn't much to see now that they'd entered hyperspace, but somehow just knowing that they were still moving made her feel slightly less queasy.

Someone pressed a warm cup into her hands. "It tastes a bit funny," the woman said, "but it will help with the nausea."

Padmè looked at her, half-wary of some sort of assassination attempt. But the woman was old enough to be her grandmother, and her kind expression appeared to be genuine. Despite Bail's rather obvious apprehension, Padmè took a long sip of the drink. Almost immediately, her stomach settled, and she gave the woman a relieved smile.

"Sagebrush calms the children," the woman said. "Dried, then boiled. Little boys like it especially."

"How did you know?" Padmè asked.

"Oh, a mother always knows. Good luck, deary. Those children will change your life."

Padmè nodded and watched the woman walk off again. It wasn't until much later that the weight of the word "children" actually registered in her mind.

She dropped her head into her hands, feeling decidedly queasy again.

* * *

The only thing that Anakin hated about flying was being stuck in hyperspace. He felt so... disconnected from the rest of the galaxy. It did not escape his notice either that Perun seemed perfectly comfortable, going about whatever work or exercises Anakin assigned him as though they'd never left the Temple. But the worst part was definitely the annoying habit that Perun had developed of coming into the room where Anakin was pacing and telling him calmly to "please, either sit down or find something useful to do" as though _he_ was the Master.

So, needless to say, when the ship was finally approaching it's coordinates, Anakin was more than a little anxious. He watched the controls, waiting for the right moment to cut in the sublight engines and return to real-space. He heard the door open and shut behind him, and looked up briefly to find Perun hovering nervously around the copilot's chair.

"You might want to strap in," Anakin told him kindly.

Perun did as directed, then, without looking up, he said, "Master, I'm frightened."

Anakin was silent for a long moment before responding, "I'd be worried if you weren't. Fear is a good thing, Perun. It means you're paying attention."

The boy nodded. Another pause, and then Anakin laid his hand over the throttle. "Are you ready?"

Perun swallowed, then answered, "Yes, Master."

As if in slow motion, the stars elongated around them until they became single points of light again--

Anakin jerked the controls to avoid crashing into a Republic starfighter, and swerved around what looked like cannon fire from a droid control ship.

The Padawan spit out a stream of words he'd learned recently from Anakin, to which the Knight could only reply, "My thoughts exactly, but please keep them to yourself next time."

"Next time? You intend for there to be a "next time" we come out of hyperspace into the middle of a battle?"

"Perun!"

Anakin's warning tone finally cut through whatever shock had taken over Perun, and he gripped the trigger that controlled their own gun turrets. The weapon was terribly inadequate, but Perun was able to shoot down a few droid fighters and clear a path for Anakin to get through the chaos and head planetside.

"Now the fun begins," Anakin said, making the final adjustments as they entered the atmosphere.

* * *

"Sir, unknown craft just appeared on the scanner."

Cody had a very strong suspicion that Anakin Skywalker was in that ship. "Bring up a visual," he commanded.

The screen showed a relatively small pleasure craft performing dips and spins that the ship should not have been capable of. Having flown with General Skywalker over Cato Nemoida, Cody was now sure it was the Jedi at the controls. He watched as the ship dove toward the planet's surface, and wondered if Skywalker really had gone crazy.

A memory floated to the front of his mind... or maybe it wasn't a memory, since he couldn't recall a specific time or place, just General Kenobi's voice, advising without ever being patronizing.

"Who's the more foolish; the fool or the fool who follows him?"

Cody blinked -- had the light suddenly flashed blue? -- and turned back to his brother.

"Don't shoot, just follow it. Try to stay off their scanners."

"Yes sir."

Cody watched the decent, and wondered for the first time just what they were supposed to do when they caught up with Anakin.

* * *

Anakin pulled the Force into himself, trusting it to guide him as he landed. He extended his awareness out to his surroundings, searching...

Just before he would have sensed the clone-piloted fighter following him, Obi-Wan's voice filled his mind. "You must realize, Anakin, that I can no longer help you here."

The silence that followed seemed to stretch into eternity for both of them. "You will try to come back, right?"

He paused, as though he were waiting for something. Then he said, "Yes, I will try. May the Force be with you, Anakin."


	11. In which Anakin faces Grievous

_Chapter co-written with Skywalker05. If you look really closely, you can find some references to her fics as well._

* * *

__

_**Chapter Eleven --**_

_**In which Anakin faces Grievous...**_

Perun's first impression of Mustafar was of heat. Even before they lowered the landing ramp he was overwhelmed by the sensation of being thrown into a fire, and he couldn't help but wonder who in their right mind would build a military base on this Force-forsaken planet.

He nearly choked on his first breath of air outside; it burned his nose and throat, the sulfur almost palpable. Still coughing, he looked up at Anakin, who was staring fixedly ahead at the small complex of buildings. Neither of them spoke, just moved forward as quickly as possible, ducking into shadows and avoiding the unstable ground. After what seemed like hours, they reached a platform and a staircase that presumably lead to the command center. Anakin made short work of the lock at the top -- simply shoved his lightsaber right through it -- and the door slid open to reveal the Separatists who had remained on planet.

"Where is Grievous?" Anakin demanded.

A Nemoidian stepped forward. "I do not know. We, however, are willing to agree to whatever terms--"

Anakin's lightsaber sliced neatly through the Viceroy. Perun stared, open mouthed, first at the body and then up at Anakin. His master did not appear to show any sort of remorse, and Perun knew that he must appear just as frightened of that as the Separatists did. He fought to school his face back to stillness before anyone else could notice, and pulled his own 'saber while Anakin leveled his at the remained aliens.

"I will cut down every one of you until I get my answer," Anakin said, voice deadly serious. Perun felt another chill run up his spine at his Master's tone. "Now, I will ask you again; where is Grievous?"

"We don't know. He tells us nothing--"

Another Separatist fell.

"Master, stop. They're trying to surrender!" But Anakin was not listening. Perun tried to grab Anakin's sleeve as he advanced on a cowering Muun. And then, just as Perun was beginning to wonder if Anakin was really just going to slaughter them one by one while he watched, he heard a bone-chilling voice speak from behind him.

"Kill them all, Jedi," Grievous hissed. "They are of no further use to me."

Perun was not sure how his master moved, but Anakin was standing next to Perun in the blink of an eye. He glared at the bio-droid, and -- was it a trick of the light on this planet? -- Perun thought he saw a glint of yellow in Anakin's eyes.

"You killed Obi-Wan."

"Yes." Grievous seemed to savor the word as he threw back his cloak, revealing the collection of lightsabers clipped at his waist. "It will be my pleasure to kill you too."

Four more blades flashed to life, Anakin's became a blur of light, a shower of sparks rained down from the ceiling, and Perun could only duck instinctively to the side. The duelists moved out of the confines of the room, leaving the Separatists and the Jedi Padawan behind, momentarily forgotten.

Perun considered himself lucky that he recovered from the shock of the situation first. It gave him the leverage he needed to turn things back in his favor; or at least, back to terms he understood.

Leveling his 'saber at the remaining leaders of the Confederacy, he said, in as clear and strong a voice as he could manage, "By order of the Jedi and the GAR, you are all under arrest for treason against the Republic."

* * *

From the moment he stepped out onto the causeway, Anakin's attention was focused on a single goal: in Grievous' upper right hand was a familiar blue lightsaber.

Obi-Wan's.

He could -- he _would_ get it back. And then he would kill Grievous.

The droid general lurched forward, four lightsabers spinning in circles with almost too much reach for the catwalk to contain. As Anakin watched, one blade sheared a square control panel from its moorings, and the blue force fields protecting the buildings from the elements flicked off.

Like in his duel with Sidious, Anakin was not really aware of moving his lightsaber. His body simply reacted to years of training ingrained into his memory. Subconsciously, he brought to mind the other occasions on which he'd faced Grievous. He'd made mistakes on board the _Invisible Hand_. He would not make them again.

Instead of putting all his strength behind his offensive blow, he held back just a little, enough so that when Grievous returned the strike, Anakin was able to smoothly transition into a defensive block. This was one of the principles of Form VI lightsaber combat, which he'd worked on with Perun. Anakin appreciated the experience gained and Grievous seemed surprised by the change in style.

Not to say that he was completely abandoning his usual Form V techniques. As soon as he saw the opening, Anakin pressed the offensive, his blade a flurry of movement as he surged forward. He could feel the blades connect once-- twice-- then--

Anakin's 'saber sliced through Grievous' metallic wrist with a soft sort of _pssht_. The hilt flew sideways, and Anakin called it into his unarmed hand. It felt strange in his grip; right, because it was Obi-Wan's, but wrong for the same reason. It should have been in his Master's hand, not his. They should be fighting together here, side-by-side, like brothers.

The second blade was ignited again, and Anakin crossed them before his face as he came at Grievous, so that even over the fires of Mustafar they cast an eerie blue glow.

* * *

Cody prided himself on being ready for anything. The only things that ever surprised him anymore were the Jedi, and it seemed like they were coming up with new ways to try to confuse him every day. Because really, why should he expect to find a dozen Separatists being led away at saberpoint, by a Padawan no less?

"Commander." The boy saluted upon spotting him. "Care to lend a hand here?"

Personally, Cody thought the boy sounded just a bit too eager to leave the prisoners with the clones, as if he were itching to run off again, but he directed his men to help escort the Separatists anyway. He fell into step beside the boy, and asked, as quietly as he could given the circumstances, "Where is Skywalker?"

The Padawan seemed to consider his answer very carefully before responding, "He has engaged General Grievous."

"Where?" Cody asked. "I'll send reinforcements."

The boy pointed back in the direction he'd come from, and Cody could just make out of the flashes of blue and green that indicated lightsaber combat. He watched for a moment, wondering what the exchange would look like up close. Then the fighters moved behind a tower and were lost from view, and Cody returned to the issue at hand; how was he going to fit twelve Confederates onto a ship, plus Anakin and the Padawan...

"Hey, wait!" Cody called after him, but the boy was already running back.

_Great_, Cody thought. _Now we'll have to rescue both of them._

* * *

For the first time, Anakin seemed to understand that he could not match Grievous for brute strength, even with the Force. This point was driven home when a metal fist connected solidly with his chin. He reeled backwards, felt his heels brush the edge of the catwalk, and spent a few precious seconds regaining his balance before lunging back into the fight. It was now two lightsabers against three, and he used one to block and parry while he searched for another opening with the second.

They circled, so that it was now Anakin being pushed backwards down the causeway. He took another hit, this time to his right side, but was now within close enough range to deliver a blow of his own. Using the Force to hold the 'saber hilt in the air, he punched Grievous in the chest with his own mechanical hand.

It still hurt like hell.

The bio-droid's hollow laughter echoed in his ears in the moment before Anakin was hit again, the raw edge of the hand he'd cut off tearing a line over his arm. When he'd regained his balance again, he shoved at Grievous with the Force. The general slid backward a few feet, but did not hit anything.

Still, it gave Anakin the time he needed to begin scaling the tower; the catwalk had started shaking dangerously, and he did not want to be on it when it fell. Shoving Obi-Wan's 'saber onto his belt, he pulled himself up one handed, and attempted to take a swing at Grievous' head when the bio-droid took the hint and followed.

* * *

Aided by the Force, Perun ran. He did not dare to venture up onto the catwalk -- it was difficult enough to maneuver two people up there. Instead, he paced anxiously on the bank below, looking for some way to cross the lava and get closer to Anakin for when the tower finally fell. Because it was going to fall; he was sure of that. It was just a question of how much time it took for the structure to be consumed by the river of magma beneath it.

It was fortunate, perhaps, that Anakin did not notice him. He might have been distracted at a crucial moment.

Unfortunately, even though Anakin did not notice him, Grievous did.

* * *

Grievous faltered. Anakin lunged down at the opening, swung his lightsaber--

--Through empty air.

For a brief moment, Anakin stared and wondered why Grievous had jumped from the tower. He scanned the area below, and froze, horrified.

Perun stumbled backward down the slope while Grievous advanced on him. Even from his high vantage point, Anakin could tell that Perun's lightsaber was shaking. He leapt from the tower to land on one of the tiny relay droids, then jumped again, sliding on the ashy bank, and ran toward his apprentice.

As if in slow motion, Anakin watched as Perun made an unsteady swing of his lightsaber, which Grievous easily avoided. He ducked the stab that Grievous made at him, and managed one more clumsy block before a mechanical foot connected solidly with his chest. Someone screamed; it took Anakin a moment to realize that it was him.

Grievous was running. Anakin's first instinct was to follow, continue the fight, avenge Obi-Wan and Perun--

He couldn't think clearly again. The next thing he knew was a small voice calling out "Master!" He followed it, slipping on the uneven, unstable ground. Perun was lying face down; it was a struggle to pull him back up, and he collapsed again as soon as they stopped moving.

"What were you thinking?" Anakin demanded, falling to his knees beside his Padawan.

Perun's eyes were slightly unfocused as he looked up at Anakin. "I want-- wanted to... to help," he finally choked out.

He tried to continue, but started coughing uncontrollably, and Anakin held him upright as best he could. In that moment, he cursed everything that had brought him to this moment: the Force, which gave him the strength to kill but not the knowledge to heal; Grievous, for robbing him of his Master and being skilled enough to escape again; even Obi-Wan, for convincing him to bring Perun to this place, and for not being here now, when Anakin needed him most.

"Why can't you help me?" he cried, staring up at the sky and the starfighters still moving through it.

He'd moved past being unaware. His brush with the dark side had left him totally detatched from the situation, even as an ARC trooper took him by the shoulders to pull him into a standing position and guide him back toward the ship. "It's alright, General Skywalker," he was saying. "We've won."

"No," Anakin murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. "He got away again. This isn't over. It won't be over for a long time."


	12. In which dreams and reality coincide

__

_**Chapter Twelve --**_

_**In which dreams and reality coincide...**_

Perun awoke -- well, awake was not exactly the word, but it was the closest he could think of -- and found himself surrounded by a warm, soft blue light. If he squinted, he could just make out Obi-Wan's form through a sort of misty haze. He blinked, and the ghost became more slightly more corporeal.

"Master Kenobi," he asked plainly, "am I dead?"

"Not quite," Obi-Wan replied. "Consider this to be a sort of in between."

Perun looked around. For a second, he was surprised to find a world starting to take form, but the place was so peaceful that the feeling quickly faded into one of simple acceptance. He stepped forward, the mist swirling around his feet. There was a bit of lingering pain when he moved -- a reminder that he was still alive, he supposed -- and when he looked at his hands, he could see the shadows of the scars he'd earned on Mustafar. "Why did you bring me here?" he finally asked.

"I didn't. Anakin placed you in a healing trance," Obi-Wan explained. "I am here to ensure that you don't get lost."

"Lost?"

"In the Force," the ghost continued. "It's the strongest now that you'll ever feel it. And it's very important that you listen to it now."

There was no sound that Perun could hear, only the gentle whisperings of a wind he could barely feel. Finally, just as he was becoming frustrated, Obi-Wan added, "Open your mind, Perun. Your senses are not so limited here."

As soon as Obi-Wan said it, Perun realized how obvious the answer had been. Surrounded by the Force, what better place was there to give himself over to it?

* * *

The sensation was something like a combination of floating and freefall. He had no sense of any direction; the world just seemed to extend around him and, at times, through him. It was too bright to see, but images flashed through his mind: the bustling streets of Coruscant; the rolling plains of Dantooine; the ice-caves of Illum; the fires of Mustafar. The effect was dizzying. He tried to center himself, but found that to be nearly impossible with the rush of memories and... visions? Maybe; he'd never been to Illum or Dantooine, but he still recognized them instantly.

He could no longer separate past from present from future. The Force had no sense of time, at least not that he could understand. He could only watch, and listen, and feel--

And then, as suddenly as it had all come to him, it stopped. What replaced it was a light; not the kind given off by glowsticks, but more like the feeling that emanated over his bond with Anakin. But rather than manifest itself in his mind only, this light filled his whole being with the memories of a thousand generations, the pain they'd experienced during their lives... but also the acceptance they'd found in the Force, in knowing that it guided them with the best of intentions.

And he felt that he understood.

* * *

Padmè knew she was dreaming because instead of lying in the crisp white sheets of the med-center's bed, she found herself staring up at the stars over Naboo. She studied the familiar patterns, and wondered idly which constellations would watch over her children at night.

"They will grow up under clear skies," a voice said behind her. "You need not fear for that."

She turned, a smile lighting her features. "Obi-Wan." She moved to embrace her friend. Then, as she looked up into his eyes, she asked, "What should I fear for?"

"Nothing," Obi-Wan replied. "This is merely a dream. There is nothing to fear from dreams."

The comment was so easy that Padmè felt it only natural to respond, "Of course. You know, Obi-Wan, I was thinking that if I have a little boy, I might name him for you. I know Anakin would approve."

But Obi-Wan shook his head before she'd even finished. "I thank you for the honor, Padmè, but my name will live on in the histories of the Temple, and that is enough for me. Now, if you're looking for a good, strong name, I've always been rather fond of Luke."

"Luke?" She raised an eyebrow at him quizzically. "Where would you come up with a name like Luke?"

Obi-Wan smiled sardonically. "It was a play on the name of a recent acquaintance of mine." He sighed quietly, then added, "You meet some weird people when you're dead."

* * *

The dream faded, and Padmè woke up slowly to see sunlight pouring through the windows. A med-droid buzzed around the bed, checking her vitals and chattering unnecessarily. Well used to this sort of behavior from Threepio, Padmè easily tuned it out, trying to recall the details of her dream.

_Luke Skywalker_, she thought, sounding out the name in her head. _Yes, that fits quite nicely._

* * *

When Perun "awoke" again, Obi-Wan was not there. Instead, a man he did not recognize was sitting opposite him. Like Master Kenobi, this man was dressed in Jedi robes and glowing with the same blue light that appeared common in this place. He looked to be meditating, and Perun wasn't sure if he aught to disturb him or not. He glanced around, wondering if Master Kenobi was just coming back...

"My apprentice had other matters to attend to," the ghost said, without rising or even opening his eyes. "Have you come to an understanding of what the Force wants from you, Padawan?"

"I... think so," Perun replied, slightly unnerved despite himself; he'd heard more than a few stories about the great but maverick Master Jinn. "Trust. It wants me to trust. Not that it was very specific."

"The Unifying Force is rarely specific," the ghost responded. "But that aside, you are correct, Padawan. Trust Anakin. Trust the Council. Trust your own judgement. There are events in motion now which must play out. You may not like this course of action, but..." He let his sentence trail off with a deep sigh. "The future is difficult to see. Trust, Padawan. It's the best advice I can give you."

Perun nodded distractedly; his attention was more focused on the wind, and the faint voice it carried to them. The Jedi appeared to hear it as well. "They are calling you back. Go on."

He started to leave, and then belatedly remembered to turn back and bow. "Thank you, Master."

The Jedi just smiled and waved him on. Semi-consciously, Perun followed the voice whispering his name. The mist was growing thicker the further he walked. When he could no longer see more than a half-meter in front of him, he extended his senses again, the way Master Kenobi had instructed him to earlier. The could feel Anakin's presence close by. Blindly, faithfully, he reached for his Master.

* * *

The first thing Perun became aware of was a very bright, white light. He rationalized that he must be in some sort of med-ward, because aside from some uncomfortable poking and prodding (and the ghosts, but he didn't think they were related) he couldn't remember anything after being moved onto the ship.

Anakin was sitting beside him, and as soon as he noticed Perun's eyes fluttering open, began speaking very rapidly -- too rapidly for Perun's foggy mind to understand. The boy groaned as the pain returned to his head. "Master, with all due respect," he finally managed, "shut up."

"I'm sorry," Anakin said, smoothing some loose hair back from Perun's forehead. "I was just afraid I'd lost you."

"Don't worry," Perun replied off-handedly. "I had guides."

Anakin looked thoroughly confused by that, but Perun was too busy trying to sort out the events of his vision from what he remembered before passing out on Mustafar to notice. And then, with sudden clarity, it came back.

"I lost it," he murmured.

"What was that, Padawan?"

Perun stared at his blankets, unwilling to look Anakin in the eye. "The lightsaber we built. When I got kicked, I must have dropped it; I felt it roll out of my hand. I'm sorry, Master."

Anakin opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment the door slid open to reveal a clone trooper wearing a science officer badge on his shirt. "General Skywalker," he said, saluting. "Commander Cody wants to see you up on the bridge, Sir."

Anakin gave Perun one last worried glance, squeezed his shoulder affectionately, and left without saying anything. The trooper did not seem to be bothered by the apparent brush off. In fact, he looked rather relieved not to have to deal with Anakin, and almost excited as he approached Perun's bed.

"Alright, kid," he said jovially. "Let's see how those burns look today."

* * *

Padmè resolved to kill Anakin if he ever came near her bed again. No child was worth this kind of pain.

"You're doing wonderfully," the med-droid told her, in a voice preprogrammed to sound calm and happy. "Keep breathing, you're doing fine."

"It's been over an hour," Padmè ground out through clenched teeth. "Can't you just pull them out at this point?"

"Keep breathing--"

Padmè was seized with the sudden urge to disable the droid. Why weren't there any real doctors here?

She screamed as another contraction tore through her body. Finally, the door opened again, reveling a man in a long white lab coat. He surveyed the room. "No husband," he commented idly. "That tells me that either he's a sissy, scared of blood, or you don't really like him. Which is it?"

Padmè stared at him, incredulous. "Is this even relevant?"

"No, but it stopped you thinking about your pain for a second. So you can go back to screaming, or we can have a nice little chat while we wait for Emdee over there to pronounce you ready for delivery."

The droid suddenly received a rather vicious kick. It spluttered out a few garbled phrases, one of which might have been "Patient is fully dilated," before it shut down. Padmè's glaring wrath returned to the doctor.

"Okay then," he muttered, and pushed the door shut again. "I have a new theory. Maybe you kicked your husband like that, and now he's downstairs having broken ribs set."

"Are you a doctor, or not?"

"Fine. We'll do it your way." He stalked over to the bed, pushed the now useless med-droid aside, and started his own examination. Padmè cringed again as he glanced nonchalantly at his chrono. "Based on your current state," he said evenly, "I'd give it another six minutes. So tell me, where is this husband of yours? I'm curious."

"Busy," Padmè managed through the pain. "Jedi. Hero. Moron. Whatever. Anyway, I didn't expect him to--" she cut off with another choked-back scream, and fought to get her breathing back under control. "Forget the six minutes, this kid wants out _now!_"

"Then push," the doctor replied. "Not much I can do to help with that; I just catch."

So she pushed. If she'd been more aware of her thoughts, she might have been mortified that the first words her child heard was a steady stream of curses. She cursed Anakin for putting her in this situation, cursed the Jedi Council for keeping Anakin away from her, cursed the doctor for being sarcastic and having such cold hands--

And then it was over, and she thanked the Force and any listening deities because she was holding two beautiful, healthy, smiling twins.

"Congratulations," the doctor told her, and made to leave.

"Wait." He paused at the door. "Some of what I said, I didn't intend to... you won't tell anyone, will you?" She and Anakin had kept their secret for so long, and she was afraid that now she'd ruined it by telling this stranger.

"Don't worry," he said, palming the door open. "Doctor-patient confidentiality and all that. I'll send a nurse in to help you clean up. I expect you don't want another droid."

* * *

It wasn't until three days later that Perun was able to sit up without being in pain, let alone get out of bed. By the time he was able to walk -- or hobble, rather, leaning on Anakin for support -- they were approaching Coruscant.

"I've been thinking," Anakin said, as they watched the descent through one of the viewports. "You haven't had remotely adequate medical attention. I'm taking you to the med-ward as soon as we reach the Temple."

"I'm well enough to report to the Council with you," Perun insisted, but Anakin shook his head.

"You're brave, Padawan, but you're also in pain. The sooner you get a proper bacta treatment, the better. And I want your lungs looked at too; that cough of yours is worrying me."

Perun glanced up at his Master. Despite the usual easy cynicism, there was something very different about Anakin's voice, a certain seriousness that reflected in his eyes. Anakin must have felt him staring, because he smiled suddenly and ruffled Perun's hair. "Do not worry, Padawan, nothing has changed. I've just been meditating a lot."

Perun made a show of looking shocked by the statement. "But you hate meditation," he said playfully.

"I've had a lot to think about," Anakin replied, serious once more. "I've been trying to reach Obi-Wan, but... I think he might really be gone now. He always told me to trust the Force," (Perun started at the echo of the advice he'd received) "and... well, it's time I listened to him. I... I've made mistakes, Perun, and I need to take responsibility for them."

They stood in silence for a long moment. Perun wanted to say something, but found himself at a complete loss for words, so he settled for reaching across their bond with feelings of love and comfort.

"I was also thinking," Anakin ventured after a while, "that since you lost your first lightsaber, you might need a replacement."

If Perun had been shocked before, it was nothing compared to how he felt when Anakin handed him Master Kenobi's lightsaber.


	13. In which the Council comes to a decision

__

_**Chapter Thirteen --**_

_**In which the Council comes to a decision...**_

The first thing that Anakin noticed upon entering the Council chamber was that although Obi-Wan's place had been filled by Master Tholme, the chair beside that was still conspicuously empty. Anakin was unsure if he should be relieved by this knowledge or not. He supposed that, at the very least, it was better to have one less pair of eyes staring at him while he was being questioned.

"Where is your Padawan?" Kit Fisto asked him.

"Med-ward," Anakin replied. "I thought it best that he not be subjected to a debriefing immediately."

The Council members exchanged uneasy glances. "We were told that Perun had been treated by Beta-266," Agen Kolar said. "Were there any complications?"

"Just precaution." Anakin paused a moment, took a long, slow breath, and then added, "That, and I was hoping for a private session. I did not want to send him away."

Mace stared at him over his steepled fingers. "Go on."

Anakin sighed again, and began. He spoke slowly and steadily (albeit in the direction of his boots) and finally told the Council everything he'd been holding back for the last three years. He started with Padmè, their secret marriage on Naboo. He told them about Dooku's murder onboard the _Invisible Hand_, how he had let the Dark side consume him for that brief moment. Then he moved on to his return to Coruscant, when Padmè had told him about their child, and then about the dreams that had plagued him, warning of her death. And then, finally, he told them about Obi-Wan's return, how he'd guided Anakin and Perun from Utapau to Mustafar.

"I'm not crazy," he finished. "And it wasn't just a vision."

There was a long moment of silence.

"Discuss this, we will," Yoda finally said. Anakin waited a moment for some continuation. When he realized that none was forthcoming, he bowed, and left.

* * *

"Honestly, he might just be the worst patient I've ever had," Jedi Healer Bant Eerin ranted at her former Master. "Three broken ribs, burns up and down his arms, he's still got sulfides in his lungs, all only half-healed, and he's still trying to convince me to release him."

"He is lucky," the Nautolan replied.

"Lucky does not begin to describe it. Who convinced a Padawan that he should go after General Grievous anyway?"

"I can't imagine." Kit hastened to change the subject. "Is Perun awake? I must speak with him if he is."

Bant hesitated. Perun was currently in a restricted ward where no visitors were allowed to bother him while he recovered. But then again, the was not a typical circumstance...

"Only because it's you," Bant said, and entered the passcode that would open the door. "Try to be quick though. He's in room AA-23."

Kit flashed her his signature grin before he stepped inside. He moved as silently as he could down the corridor until he reached Perun's door, and pushed it open.

The boy struggled to sit up when he saw his visitor. Kit gave him a very gentle Force-push back onto the pillows. "Sorry, Perun," he said. "But Bant will kick me out if she thinks I'm disrupting your healing."

Perun managed to smile at the joke. "Did the Council need me for anything?" he asked. "I'll take any excuse to get out of here."

"Not exactly," Kit replied. "This little chat is going to be, ah... off the record, so to speak. Some of the things Anakin told us before, about Chancellor Amidala, their marriage and their child--"

"Their... what?" Perun's eyes went nearly as wide as Kit's.

"You didn't know? I had assumed that if Anakin told us, he would have told his Padawan those little details."

"That-- I suspected _something_, but he never said--"

"Oops," Kit continued, though he did not sound sorry for his slip at all. "Well, now that you know, let me ask you; do you think Anakin's attachment has ever interfered with the missions he completed?"

"What? I... no." Perun continued to stutter as he processed the information. "But I really haven't known him that long--"

"You are his Padawan," Kit said. "You have known him in a very unique context. You are also the only person who can attest to Anakin's... visions... of Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"He's not crazy," Perun said, as though guessing Kit's next thought. "I thought he was at first too. But I could see him -- Master Kenobi, I mean." He paused, then added, "When he wanted me to, anyway."

"Could..." Kit mused over the word. "You don't anymore?"

Perun shook his head. "I haven't seen him since Mustafar. Anakin thinks he may have... you know, moved on."

Kit nodded slowly. "Thank you, Perun. I must go speak with the Council again. They may be about to make a very grave mistake." He started to leave, then turned around again when he heard Perun murmur something.

"What was that?"

"I trust the Council," Perun said steadily. "I have to trust the Council."

* * *

"Miss Padmè, I do believe there is a Jedi here to see you."

She sighed and looked out over the veranda at the familiar speeder. _Perun_? No, the figure getting out was taller...

"Annie!" She ran forward and threw her arms around his neck. Then she pulled back and started beating her fists against his chest and shoulders. "Don't you ever do that again, disappearing like that without telling anyone--!"

"As if you're one to talk," he said, grinning playfully down at her as he caught both of her hands in his own and pulled her close again. "I've been back less than twelve hours, and I've already heard some interesting rumors concerning the Chancellor's whereabouts these last few weeks."

Padmè blinked. "Where did you hear--?"

Inside the apartment, one of the twins started wailing, and Padmè's face immediately shifted into a motherly expression. "They're awake." She started back inside, and called over her shoulder to Anakin, "Come meet your children."

"Children?" he asked. "Plural?"

"Twins."

After a brief, shocked pause, Anakin followed. He found Padmè bent over a cradle at the far side of the room. She beckoned him closer, and placed one blanket wrapped bundle into his arms. Little fingers reached imploringly for his, and he happily obliged. Padmè held the other bundle -- the crying bundle -- to her chest, whispering soothing words all the time.

"Shh, Leia," she murmured, patting the infant's back. "Shh, it's all right."

"Here, let me." Anakin reached out with a tiny tendril of the Force, and Leia stilled instantly, staring around with wide brown eyes for the source of this new feeling. Anakin smiled. "What was that name you said? And who am I holding?"

"You've got Luke," Padmè replied, "the quiet one. Hard to believe he's yours." Anakin snorted. "And this is Leia." She lifted the infant so that she faced Anakin. "Leia, this your father. Say hello."

Anakin readjusted his hold on Luke and reached out to stroke Leia's cheek with his spare hand. Leia considered the intrusion into her personal space, and promptly spit up on Anakin's glove.

Padmè laughed. After a rather tense moment, so did Anakin.

"Here," Padmè said, handing him one of the rags she now kept near her at all times. "I think she likes you."

"I'm glad." He finished wiping his hand, and shifted Luke again so that he could lean forward and press a kiss to his daughter's forehead. He was very aware of Padmè watching him, and so he took deliberate care afterward to lean that extra little bit and meet her lips with his own.

They broke apart only when Threepio's voice rang through the apartment again. "Miss Padmè, Master Anakin, I don't mean to be a disturbance, but there are more Jedi here to see you."

"More?" Padmè glanced at her husband, and was slightly shocked to find a guilty expression written all over his face as he sank down onto the couch. "Anakin Skywalker, why are there _more_ Jedi here?"

"Because I told the Council about our children," he confessed. "They're probably Force-sensitive, and they need to be trained. I'm not happy about it either," he added, correctly interpreting the look on Padmè's face, "but I needed to." He looked over at the door. "It's alright, Threepio. Show them in."

The protocol droid continued to babble unheard as Masters Windu, Fisto, Yoda and Shaak Ti entered the room. Luke began to squirm uncomfortably and Leia started to cry again. Anakin began to rise so he could bow, but Yoda waved a clawed hand as he hobbled over, indicating that he stay seated. He did his best to still Luke as Yoda touched his temples, with limited success.

"Strong in the Force, this boy is," he finally said. "Become a Jedi, the son of Skywalker must."

"And his sister?" Mace Windu asked.

Yoda nodded. "Feel their connection, I can."

Kit sighed quietly, then walked forward until he was standing next to Padmè. Very gently, he started to lift Leia out of her mother's arms.

"Wait!" Padmè jerked Leia back as though she'd just realized what was happening. "Are you saying... you're going to take them away?"

Anakin laid a hand on her shoulder. "They need to be trained, Padmè." He gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile. "I'll look after them."

The Masters glanced warily at each other again as Padmè nodded silently at her husband. This time, when Master Fisto reached for Leia, she did not pull away. She watched, half-dazed, as Anakin rose to follow the Masters back to the Temple. He turned and smiled at her one last time before crossing the threshold with their children.

When the noise of the retreating speeders finally faded away, Padmè realized that Master Shaak Ti had not left with the others. The Togruta watched her sadly; Padmè did not like her expression in the least. It was like she knew some secret, and wasn't quite sure how to share it.

Falling back on her political training once more, Padmè schooled her face to stillness. "Master Jedi," she said, her tone only slightly cold. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you," Shaak Ti replied calmly. "Why don't you sit down. We have much to talk about."

"I'd rather stand, thank you." Padmè definitely did not like where this was going. "Just say what you need to say."

"As you like." The Jedi made sure she had Padmè's full attention before continuing. "Your children cannot remain here on Coruscant. We have made arrangements for Leia to go to an enclave on Dantooine. Luke will go to Illum. It is best if they do not know of their relationship to each other. Or to Anakin."

Padmè was beside herself, but she managed not to let too much of her anger come through in her voice. "So you think that you can just sent them away, and Anakin and I will forget about our children?"

Shaak Ti shook her head sadly. "We cannot make you forget. But the Council has decided that we must... rearrange some of Skywalker's memories. So no, he will not remember them. And," she paused, choosing her words, "he will not remember more than a mutual friendship with you, either."

Suddenly, Padmè felt weak in the knees. She sank heavily back onto the couch. After a long moment, she finally managed a soft, "Why?"

"Because Anakin must be a Jedi," Shaak Ti told her, "and you must be the Chancellor." She paused, then added, "I am sorry. If there is anything we can do--"

"No," Padmè said decisively. "You've helped quite enough, I think."

"Very well. However, before I go, I need to know if there is anyone else who knows of your marriage or your children."

"Only Senator Organa. Why, are you going to erase his memory too?"

Shaak Ti sighed. "No, thankfully. We only need to ensure that he will keep the secret." She turned to leave. "If it's any consolation, this is not easy for us either."

* * *

Anakin dutifully followed the others back to the Temple and up to the Council room. Master Fay, a Twi'lek who watched over one of the crèches, and her Mon Calamari apprentice met them outside the doors. The girl took Leia from Kit. Anakin hesitated a moment before handing Luke to Master Fay.

"Where are you taking them?" he asked.

"Just to the Healers," she replied smoothly. "There are some blood tests to run; all routine, I promise."

"Safe, they will be," Yoda added. "Worry for them, you should not."

Luke's tiny fingers were gripping his sleeve; Anakin had to pry them off gently so the crèche Master could take him.

The doors of the Council chamber slid open silently. Anakin took his seat across the room. Several of the Masters were watching him intently; the rest averted their eyes, heads bent in meditation. Anakin tried to imitate them, to clear his mind, but images of Luke and Leia kept floating to the surface instead, and he smiled despite himself.

No one spoke until Shaak Ti returned. She did not bother to sit. Instead, she and the other Masters made their way to the center of the room, forming a shoulder-to-shoulder circle.

"Come here, young Skywalker," Yoda said, stepping into the center. "Kneel."

Anakin did not understand what was happening, but the Force urged him forward. And although it was no longer speaking with Obi-Wan's voice, he followed it.

* * *

****

**Author's Note:** Ha! You all thought the story was ending, didn't you?

Well, truth be told, even I didn't plan for S.L.Rebirth to take the turn it did. But I've been having so much fun writing it, and the reviews for it have been so astoundingly positive, I had to continue it past the original ending.

That being said, I'd like to take a moment to thank my constant reviewers: **S.S.A **(It is, in fact, per-UN, with a slight stress on the second syllable), **pronker** (I think "plucky" is the best word I've ever gotten to describe an original character),** i luv ewansmile, The French Dark Lord** (Don't worry; I too know the feeling of being addicted to fanfic),** ILDV** (A very heartfelt _Grazie!_),** Darth KenObi-Wan, szepolina10, **and **skywalker05**, who is also my wonderful beta reader. (To all my other reviewers: if I've missed you in this list, I apologize. I've had so many reviews for this fic that I've honestly started to loose track of them.)

Just to let you know what's coming up, there will be two relatively short interludes concerning what our heroes are doing during the years immediately following the Clone Wars, and then we'll move back into the plot line with Part Two. I'll also be going through the first thirteen chapters and making some edits (mostly grammatical) for continuity.

Until next time--

_--Argenteus Draco._


	14. Interlude I

_**...Interlude One. The Hero With No Fear...**_

Anakin was reminded of his knighting ceremony as he knelt before the Council. Yoda laid his gnarled hands on Anakin's head, and Anakin felt a calm, complacent mood settle over him... almost like a mind trick...

By the time he recognized it as a threat, he was already lost. "Forget, Skywalker," Master Windu said slowly.

"No..." He clung to the memories of Luke and Leia, of Padmè, but the Council was very gently easing them from his grasp. They left large, dark voids in their wake, which he could feel the Council trying to fill with the Force. He struggled uselessly against this intrusion, reaching for those last remnants of memory...

...but he could already feel his consciousness slipping into one of those voids. The last thing he was aware of was the lingering memory of Obi-Wan's ghost. He held onto this image even as it was lost in the blinding light of the Force.

When he fainted, he could almost imagine it was Obi-Wan's arms he was collapsing into.

* * *

Aside from the fact that he was sprawled out on the floor of the Council chamber, it looked to Kit like Anakin could have been sleeping. "Not since Revan have the Jedi needed to do such a thing."

"May we never need to do it again," Master Tholme added.

There was a long moment of silence. Kit stepped forward, and laid his fingers gently against Anakin's temples. With his mind still open to the Council so they could know his intent, he placed a new memory in Anakin's mind, a promise to take the desert-born child to Glee Anselm.

Saesee Tin gave Anakin a memory of flying together in the Clone Wars.

From Mace, he received a memory of a first and only training session in the basics of Vapaad. To reinforce this, Yoda made him remember the bruises he'd had to endure for weeks afterward.

When they finished, the Council all stepped away, leaving Kit and Ki-Adi-Mundi to carry Anakin back to his seat. Yoda hobbled after them, and waved a clawed hand in front of Anakin's face. "Awake, Skywalker," he said.

Slowly, Anakin's eyes fluttered open.

* * *

To Anakin, it was as though he was opening his eyes after blinking. But... perhaps he'd experienced a vision? He had the lingering feeling that a lot more time had passed. He could remember... something about Chancellor Amidala maybe? Or it might even go back to Palpatine's time as chancellor.

His thoughts were wandering, and he mentally berated himself for missing the beginning of what Master Yoda was saying. "Agreed, we are. Earned the right to construct a lightsaber, Perun has."

Anakin practically beamed with pride. "Thank you, Masters. As soon as we're finished, I'd like to go tell him."

* * *

Perun sniffed his medicine tentatively, and gave Bant an incredulous look. "Are you sure it's safe to drink this stuff?"

The Mon Calamari replied with a look that promised far more creative ways of getting the "stuff" into his system if he didn't drink it. "I thought bacta was only for external wounds," Perun muttered as he swallowed.

"Just because most people look to bacta as cure-all doesn't mean it's the only useful medicine," Bant replied haughtily.

"Well, we can't all be brilliant healers, can we?"

Perun gave a relieved sigh when he heard Anakin's voice. He looked up... and stared. There was something different about Master Skywalker.

"Are you alright, Padawan?" he asked, and Perun heard the change in his voice this time too.

"Yes, Master," the boy replied. "You just surprised me is all. You look so... calm."

Master Fisto had followed Anakin into the room. He motioned to Bant, and pulled her aside as Anakin came to sit beside Perun. "I have good news, Perun."

"Please tell me I'm being discharged."

Anakin smiled. "As soon as you're fully recovered--" Perun made a face "--we're going to the caves to find you a saber crystal. We can start working on a hilt as soon as you think you're ready."

"But I have a lightsaber," Perun replied, now slightly confused. "You gave me Master Kenobi's. Don't you remember?"

Anakin blinked. Perun caught Kit's gaze as he came back in. "You failed to mention that detail, Anakin. Could it have slipped your mind?" Perun had a nasty suspicion that there was some hidden meaning behind that last question.

"I... it may have." Anakin shook his head. "You should keep it, Perun. He'd want you to. Building your own is still an important part of your training."

"But I did that once already--"

Anakin put a comforting hand on his right shoulder; Kit touched his left. "Don't worry about that just yet," the Nautolan said evenly, before giving Perun one of his grins. "How do you feel about taking a little trip first?"

* * *

"That's okay, Masters," Perun said, eyeing the tempest warily. "You two go out in the crazy. I'm staying here."

They had come to Glee Anselm under the guise of re-establishing political connections after the war. In reality, both the Nautolans and the Anselmi had always supported the Republic, so there was very little for the Jedi to do except enjoy their host's hospitality. Hopefully, no one would consider it insulting that Perun was terrified by their native sport.

Despite the protest he had put up before about being let out of the med-ward, he begged out on account of his recent injuries. Instead, Perun agreed to stand in the rain and watch from shore while Kit and Anakin went storm surfing. The water below was almost black in the deepest parts where the other Nautolans waited for them, but crystal clear by the shallows. A few children had gathered there, splashing in the knee-deep water and occasionally venturing a bit further out. Perun admired their tenacity. The smallest of them were being tumbled by the waves, and even the oldest were having some trouble staying upright. The moment that one of the boys got thrown headfirst into the shore and came up smiling was when Perun decided that they -- and Anakin -- were crazy.

Instantly, Perun regretted the thought. Of course Anakin wasn't crazy. The Council had made sure of that. Kit had explained what had happened following the debriefing (including several of the details that had been purposefully removed from Anakin's memory) and done so against some Council members' express wishes. But apparently Kit had trusted him enough to keep the secrets.

That, and Perun realized that all the questions he'd asked must have made Master Fisto feel extremely guilty.

* * *

This is how it feels to be Anakin Skywalker right now:

You have no idea that your son is being put on a transport to Illum, or that you won't get to watch your daughter grow up because she is going to Dantooine. You don't know that your wife has had the very core of her belief shaken, that she will never again trust the Jedi, because you do not know that she is your wife. You do not suspect that your Padawan is hiding these very secrets from you. Instead, you are almost giddy with joy, because for the first time in your life, you feel truly free.

Storm surfing is not a part of your training, nor is it part of a mission on which the fate of a planet and it's people depends. This, quite simply, is fun.

The first wave that crests over your head makes you splutter. You are more prepared for the second, after you fit your rebreather into your mouth. You look at Kit, and he grins back before pulling himself up onto his board. You follow suit, feeling the shift beneath your feet and the pull of the current. You let the wave pull you to it's peak, and down again in a rush of wind and spray. You can feel the eyes of the observers, watching you and Kit, analyzing the fabled Jedi prowess, wondering how you will react to the final dive.

Kit's board reaches the end first. You have just a split second in which you watch him fly--

The guideline goes taut. You leap from your board, vaguely aware of the wave falling away below you. You do not fear the plunge back into the stormy water. In your mind, you have no reason to.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Alright, so it's been far too long since I've updated, and for that I apologize. What's been going on here -- besides those pesky Real Life issues -- is that I've been working on a new one-shot as well as outlining the next _two_ parts of this story. Yeah, two; once again, while brainstorming with skywalker05, the plot completely ran away with me. So as a token for putting up with the outrageous time gap I gave you guys, I offer these teasers: We'll be seeing some Leia in the future, lots more Luke, clones of an evil villain, and there is the possibility that our heroes might meet up with a certain blue ghost...


	15. Interlude II

_**Interlude Two. The Twins**_

Thick Illum snow fell steadily outside, making it impossible for the group of younglings to see past the mouth of the cave. They huddled together, waiting--

Finally, a shadow appeared in the whiteout, and they breathed a collective sigh of relief as their crèche Master's form began to materialize. She was carrying a smaller figure who was shivering with the cold, snow-soaked hair plastered to his forehead and blue eyes closed against the water dripping into them. He turned his face into her shoulder as she continued to scold him, but the other children knew he wasn't really repenting. They followed the pair back to the crèche, forming a little circle around the bed she placed him on.

"There we go," she said quietly, wrapping a thermal blanket around the child. "That's better, right?"

The boy nodded slowly, and the woman, seemingly satisfied, went back to her duties with the younger children. The rest of the initiates gathered more closely around Luke.

"Did you get it?" one of them, a dark skinned Zabrak girl, asked, nearly breathless with excitement.

With a sly grin, Luke pulled something from the inside pocket of his tunic. There was some more jostling, and Luke opened his hand to reveal a tiny, pale green crystal. "Told you I could make it to the caves," he said proudly.

The group's whispers grew louder as Luke was congratulated repeatedly, until finally the crèche Master had to shush them rather insistently. "It's lesson time anyway," she said, shooing them out into another room. "Master Morlana is waiting for you."

They filed out, and Luke surreptitiously tucked the crystal back into his pocket for safe keeping.

* * *

The enclave on Dantooine was entirely self-sufficient. Unless there was some sort of emergency, the Jedi there had almost no contact with those on Coruscant. So when the Council gathered to conference with the Masters from the outpost enclave, it was understandable that they all wore rather grim expressions.

"Sixty-three casualties," their speaker, an older Twi'lek with scars along one lekku, said solemnly. "Eleven dead, six still in critical condition, and forty-five wounded but recovering."

Anakin did some quick math in his head. "That only accounts for sixty-two."

The Master gave a deep, resounding sigh. "The last is one of our initiates. We found the bodies of her caregiver and four crèchemates, but no sign that she shared their fate. We think she may have been taken, though we do not know why."

"By whoever it was that attacked your enclave." The way that Master Windu said it made it more of a statement than a question.

"Yes."

"But kidnapping makes no sense," Anakin said, earning an indignant expression from the Twi'lek. "You really think a child would be the focus of an attack? Why?"

"I do not question the motives of my enemy," the Master replied, "I merely seek to restore order." He looked at each of the twelve Council members in turn before adding, "We have holo-recordings, if you wish to see them."

Yoda made an approving hand gesture, and the holographic Master was replaced with a bird's eye view of what appeared to be a meditation chamber. It was empty at first, before a young woman herded a collection of younglings inside. They ranged in age from five to maybe thirteen, the youngest held in the crèche Master's arms as the oldest began fumbling with something on the far wall -- perhaps an access panel for a hidden room. But before any such escape could happen, a new, yet eerily familiar figure entered the room. Although it carried lightsabers, this creature was obviously not a Jedi. The blades cut down first the children, then the Master as she tried clumsily to defend herself and the girl she carried. Then she too fell, and the creature picked up the terrified child and left.

The Twi'lek reappeared. "Is that convincing enough evidence that you will help us investigate?"

There was a pause before Mace replied, "We will send teams out immediately."

"As will we. May the Force be with us all."

The holo flickered off, leaving the Council room in stunned silence. It was Anakin who finally broke it. "I thought Grievous' ship was shot down over Mustafar. Even being mostly machine, no one should have survived that."

"Obviously there is more going on here than we know," Kit added.

"We ought to begin with the events immediately following the end of the clone wars," Agan Kolar said. "Re-examine all the evidence we have of Grievous' disappearance--"

"What I want to know," Anakin interrupted, "is what's so special about that particular child."

* * *

Luke had a usual spot by the wall where he sat during meditation. This was his least favorite class, because focusing inward was always difficult for him. He was constantly being interrupted by feelings that were not his. Master Morlana called it empathy, and said that when he learned to control this sense that it would be a very useful talent. He just plain called it annoying.

Today though, it was surprisingly easy to sink into the semi-trance state. Maybe because it wasn't dark today when he closed his eyes. Instead, it was almost... blue...

Confused and slightly suspicious, Luke opened his eyes again. Everything appeared to be normal... then he noticed that there was a figure fading slowly into sight before him. Luke watched it curiously. It smiled.

"Hello, little one."

Luke looked around again. No one else seemed to have heard the voice. Not wanting to distract the others, he mouthed back, "What are you?"

The blue figure appeared to be considering his answer very carefully. "I am... a friend," it said finally.

By this point, Luke could make out that the figure was a human male wearing Jedi robes, so he accepted this answer. "What's your name?" he asked next.

There was another pause before the ghost answered, "Ben."

"Ben." Luke sounded the name out aloud, and someone shushed him from across the room.

Ben smiled apologetically. "I'll come back later, Luke," he said. "You go back to your lessons."

And so, with a child's ability to focus only on the here and now, Luke watched the ghost fade away, and did not even wonder how his new friend had known his name.

* * *

"I have the child, Master."

"Good." The voice was sharp, but refined in a way that demanded respect. "You will bring her to the coordinates I send you. I will be waiting, General."

Grievous bowed, the hologram of the hooded man blinked off, and Leia cowered as far as she could into the corner as her bio-mechanical captor turned to face her again. He laughed, a harsh, rasping sound that reminded her of a ventilator, and ran cold metallic fingers along her cheek bone. "Such a good girl," he crooned, mocking the tone that her crèche Master had always used. "So quiet. You will make a wonderful gift for my Master."

She did not respond, could not even bring herself to pull away from his hand. He laughed again, and left. Leia shuddered and turned her face toward the wall. She waited until the clanking footfalls faded before she cried.

* * *

"How are you doing, Luke?"

The boy wobbled in his headstand. "Not now, Ben," he said distractedly. "I'm upside-down."

Ben settled himself on the ground next to Luke and watched him trying to raise a rock from the pile in the center of the room. Some of the stones were shaking in their places, and a couple were hovering a few inches above the ground, but the children were all too young to do much more.

"Ah!" Luke suddenly toppled over, narrowly avoiding the student next to him. "Ow..." He rubbed his head and pouted up at Ben, who had to resist smiling back.

"If you think I'm going to be any more sympathetic than your teachers, you are sadly mistaken Luke. Go on, try again."

Luke protested (as much as a five year old could) but eventually pushed himself back into his previous position. "That's good," Ben told him. "Now focus."

"I am focused," Luke replied indignantly, earning several strange looks from the classmates who heard him talking to what appeared to be thin air.

"No. You are focused on holding yourself up. Ignore that; let go and focus on your task."

Luke heaved a dramatic sigh, squeezed his eyes shut, and tried to do as Ben asked. He shifted all his attention to locating the pile of rocks in the Force, and then isolating the one that was uniquely his. It wasn't difficult; before they'd begun this exercise, each child had been required to start imbuing their stone with the Force, and they would continue to perfect the technique until they built their first lightsabers.

Thus, it felt to Luke as though the rock was merely a part of himself that had been separated somehow, and was tantalizingly hard to reach.

For the first time though, Luke felt he had a solid grip on it. Afraid to have it slip from his grasp again, he yanked, and the rock flew toward him. Luke opened his eyes when he felt it bump his nose. He beamed up at Ben.

"Good," the ghost said. "Now put it back, and do it again."

* * *

The ship shook as it approached the landing platform above the abandoned factory. Leia waited anxiously for the door to open. She could hear the clash of metallic footsteps outside, but... they were going in the wrong direction now.

Was that blaster fire?

It had to be, because a red-hot bolt suddenly ripped through the wall to her right, taking out the control panel as it went. The door opened; Leia paused only a second before she bolted. She ran as fast as she could in the direction that the noise wasn't. It wasn't as though anything looked familiar. Some of the hallways were full of smoke, and she had to double back twice.

And then, finally, she was able to recognize something -- up ahead, she could hear the steady hum of a single bladed lightsaber.

She hurried toward it, and was finally able to discern the outline of the man who wielded the weapon. It wasn't a Master she recognized -- but then again, she didn't even know where she was; perhaps they'd landed on Coruscant, and this man had come to rescue her.

"Hurry," he said, and then he reached his spare hand toward her. She grabbed for it, and allowed him to lead her through the maze.

People ran past them in the opposite direction, armored men with the blaster rifles she'd heard earlier. She couldn't be sure, but she thought the white plastic resembled that worn by members of the GAR.

"They are searching the ship for Grievous," her guide explained. "They won't let him get away this time."

Leia nodded, still rather confused by the situation but determined not to let it bother her. She wished she could help fight though. She had a brief idea to shoot the metallic feet off, maybe take them back to Dantooine as a gift for someone, or a trophy of sorts. Of course, she also felt she'd rather escape than see him again.

No such luck. The general suddenly appeared at the end of their hallway, blocking the exit. The man stepped forward, placing himself between Leia and her captor. There was an exchange of attacks and parries, one red blade against greens and blues. Leia screamed as they engaged, and she lost sight of the combatants as another wave of smoke billowed out from a broken and burning circuit breaker.

And then there was a warm hand reaching for her again, and she allowed herself to be picked up and finally carried off the ship.

* * *

"Where are we going?"

"Someplace safe."

"But _where_?"

"The political district."

"And then the Temple?"

There was a long pause, then, "It's a long way from here."

"When will we get there?"

"Soon. In the meantime, though, I will continue your training."

* * *

This is how it feels to be Xerxes Palpatine, as your plan begins to unfold:

Surprisingly, you spare barely a moment to think of the future. Instead, you think of how brilliant, how cunning you are. You may have yet to discover how to keep yourself from dying, but the clones you had made and hidden away on Byss will suffice for now.

You are proud. Even after five years, in this new body, you have retained your old ability. The 'rescue' went as smoothly as could be expected. And the child is following you without question, watching you with trust in her big dark eyes.

This is almost too easy. You cannot believe that the Jedi have fallen so far that you were able to take the girl from right under their very noses. They thought to hide the child of Anakin Skywalker. They failed.

You recognize the mistakes you made last time. First, you should not have underestimated Skywalker's love for his Master; you might even have been able to utilize it. But this plan... this is perfect, your masterpiece, a combination of the best work you have done over the years. This child is still young and impressionable; you will indoctrinate her the way you trained the Zabrak. She, however, will be less animalistic, more careful and cunning, like yourself and the Count. And you will cultivate her emotions, the way you had begun to do with her father.

You will turn her into the ultimate weapon of darkness. You have learned perfection from your past mistakes. This time, you will have your revenge on the Jedi.


	16. In which an important meeting occurs

__

**Part II**

_The Galactic Republic has never been stronger. Chancellor Amidala has guided the Republic into a time of peace and prosperity. The Jedi Order has rebuilt it's numbers following the Clone Wars, and the Sith have finally been defeated._

_But a new darkness is beginning to rise on Coruscant. Rifts appear in the Senate, as each senator clamors to prove why he should be Amidala's successor. At the same time, outlying star systems vie for more influence among the Core worlds, causing a dissonance that begins to effect everything from the passing of laws to the access grated to major trade routes._

_The Jedi continue their work for the Republic, but in the shadows, an old enemy is waiting to lure them into a deadly trap..._

* * *

_**Chapter Fourteen --**_

_**In which an important meeting occurs...**_

"So what did you learn today, Padawan?"

"Nothing."

Perun groaned when he saw Anakin's disappointed stare. "Would you rather I lie to you, Master?" he asked indignantly. "We've been floating through hyperspace for three days. What did you expect me to learn?"

"Some patience, at the very least."

For a moment, Perun thought that Anakin was actually being serious. He opened his mouth to apologize, then noticed the slight smirk playing on his Master's face. So instead, he aimed a good natured kick at Anakin's chair.

He knew that most of the Masters would have been appalled by the way that he and Anakin continually sniped at each other. He also tended not to care.

Over the seven years that he'd been apprenticed to Anakin Skywalker, Perun had developed a deep respect for his Master. He did not like keeping secrets from him, but with the threat of loosing his memories of being a Jedi and being expelled from the Order hanging over him, he did so. (Not that the Council had ever actually threatened him; but still, the thought lurked in the back of his mind.) He was wary of the Council, even of Master Fisto.

Fortunately, he did not see them often. In the aftermath of the Clone Wars, he and Anakin had emerged as one of the most active Jedi teams. They had traveled all over the galaxy, from Ryloth to the fourth moon of Yavin (he and Anakin had waited out a storm to gather the crystals for Perun's second lightsaber), from Alderaan to Bellassa (the only place where Anakin had pointedly refused to stay after running into an 'old friend'), and even once to Anakin's home planet of Tatooine. He'd learned more on these trips than his fourteen-year-old self could have possibly imagined, and he knew how much he still had to learn.

His primary talent, though, was still his ability to memorize almost anything. He often supposed that, had he not been found by the Jedi, he would have been an actor. Instead of memorizing lines, he memorized mission briefings, planetary laws, formulas, maps, coordinates, historical names and dates... anything that might eventually prove useful while on a mission. In fact, he'd amassed so much seemingly random information that Anakin had given him the affectionate nickname--

"Datapad?" He shook Perun's shoulder gently. "Lost in your thoughts again, Padawan?" he asked.

"Just a bit, Master." Perun blinked a few times to finish rousing himself. "Can't say they were overly interesting, either."

Anakin laughed, stretched, propped his feet on the control panel (a habit Perun hated, since he was always sure that Anakin would hit something accidentally), and leaned back in his seat. "Why don't you take the controls for a while, then? Wake me if anything exciting happens."

* * *

The lakes of Naboo were crystal clear, the grass soft, and the breeze pleasantly cool. Unfortunately, Padmè Amidala was not on her homeworld, only remembering it as she gazed out her office window at the cityscape of Coruscant.

Well, remembering wasn't really the proper term, she supposed. This was more a wishful dream of what could have been, since in her mind's eye she could see Anakin sitting beside her while Luke and Leia chased butterflies through the field.

Not for the first time, she wondered how closely her children actually compared to how she imagined them. Had Leia inherited her small, pointed nose, or Anakin's broader one? Were Luke's eyes still blue like his father's, or had they eventually darkened? How tall were they? What sort of clothes did they wear?

It was easier to picture Anakin. She'd seen him enough over the years to notice the subtle changes in his appearance: his hair was shorter, his expression calmer, and there were more browns than blacks in his wardrobe. But it was more than physical changes that Padmè noticed. At some point, Anakin had become the kind of great Jedi Master that she had always known he would. And although she knew that it was what he'd always wanted too, she still wished for her old Anakin back.

Surprisingly, it was Perun she saw most often. Whenever the young man -- and she had to remind herself constantly that he was a young man now, not the socially awkward boy she'd met years before -- was on Coruscant, he made a point of coming to see her, and passing on whatever tidbits he'd gathered that might be about her children. In fact, it was Perun who had theorized that the brown-eyed, dark-haired girl taken from Dantooine could have been Leia.

Padmè did not dare to hope that her daughter was somewhere besides the remote enclave, somewhere where she might find Leia again.

Luke, on the other hand... There was never any word of Luke, which Perun assured her meant that he was being a good Jedi apprentice. At least Padmè could pretend to be proud of that.

She sighed, turned away from the window, and walked slowly back to her desk. The comm.-unit was blinking insistently; a face she did not immediately recognize -- blue eyes, a sharply pointed nose and chin, high cheekbones, and red hair swept back from his forehead -- filled the screen as she answered the call.

"Good afternoon, Chancellor," he said, in a smooth, cultured, and slightly surprised voice. "I hadn't expected to reach you directly."

"I like to answer calls personally, when I can," Padmè replied easily. "My aides have enough to do."

"I believe it." The man, she noticed, was also dressed in the style that signified a senatorial aide. Completely unremarkable, except that there was something vaguely familiar about his face. She studied him, trying to pick out exactly what it was... around the eyes, maybe? But Padmè saw so many faces in the Senate every day that it was difficult to pinpoint, possibly even her imagination playing ticks on her. She dismissed the notion.

"What was it, exactly, that you wanted to discuss?" she asked.

"Well, if it isn't too much trouble, m'Lady--" (Padmè was suddenly reminded of a nervous suitor) "--I was hoping I might have some time to speak with you in person, at your convenience, of course." He paused a moment and gave her a charming grin. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."

"That sounds lovely," she responded, using her best diplomat's smile in return and wondering what it was about the man that made her want to trust him. "Although I have to warn you, my schedule can be... busy."

"I imagine that's putting it rather mildly." He laughed. "But I am nothing if not patient."

* * *

She was getting ready for one of those rare occasions when she had enough time during the afternoon to have lunch outside the senate complex when she thought to call the young aide again. They arranged to meet at a rooftop café, and Padmè took a private booth while Dormè watched from a few tables away.

The man -- whose name, Padmè had learned, was Razvan Dolan -- arrived exactly on time, looking both nervous and excited, and with a little girl clutching his hand and following dutifully behind him.

"Allow me to introduce my daughter, Danae," he said, urging the girl forward. "Go on, little one, say hello."

Danae's dark eyes flicked once between Padmè and Razvan before she uttered a soft but clear "Good afternoon, Chancellor Amidala. I hope you're doing well."

The line was obviously rehearsed, and yet all the more endearing for it. Dormè giggled quietly, and Padmè found she couldn't help but smile back. "Thank you," she said. "You sound like you're in training to become a politician."

"Yes, ma'am."

Now Padmè turned her smile up to Razvan. "I don't suppose you put that idea into her head, did you?"

"Guilty as charged, I'm afraid." He pulled out the extra seat for Danae. "But she does seem genuinely interested.

"I am." The girl stared proudly across the table at Padmè. "I want to be a great senator, or Chancellor of the Republic, like you."

"Which brings me to my point, actually," Razvan cut in. "You see, Danae needs a place to stay while she's not in school, and as much as she likes the senate, I run around far too much to keep track of her. But if someone would be willing to take her on as a page... well, I'd feel a lot better knowing she wasn't left to her own devices. I know she looks angelic, but I've told her more than once that the senate is not a playground."

Danae made a face at her father, then turned pleading eyes on Padmè. "Please? I'll work really, really hard and I won't get in the way at all."

Something about the girl's nature made Padmè almost desperate to agree. There were, however, still protocols to keep to. "How old are you, Danae?"

"Almost ten," she said, too quickly for Padmè to believe her.

"How old are you, really?"

Her face fell. "Seven. But I can handle the work, honest."

Padmè considered this. It was not unusual for senators, especially high ranking senators, to have young pages to run errands that protocol droids weren't really intended for, like making caf, or other mundane duties that required dextrous fingers. On the other hand, though, Padmè was no mere senator anymore, and Danae was three years shy of the accepted age.

But hadn't she herself been a political prodigy, elected queen of Naboo at only fourteen? She'd been hanging around in senate meetings since she was old enough to talk, so how could she tell Danae she was too young?

"I'll think about it," she finally said.

"That's all I would ask, m'Lady." He put a hand on Danae's shoulder. "We'll let you get back to your lunch."

"No, please, sit down," Padmè urged. "I'd be glad of the company."

Razvan acquiesced, and Padmè waited until Danae was fully engrossed in coloring her placemat before asking, "Forgive me for saying, but even if she's only seven, you can't possibly be old enough to be that girl's father."

"You give me far too much credit," Razvan replied. "I'm not nearly as young as I look. But you're right; Danae is adopted. She was a war orphan. You understand why I found a soft spot in my heart for her."

Padmè nodded, and, once again, thought longingly of Leia.

* * *

"Master, I don't understand."

"What do you not understand, my apprentice?"

"Why couldn't we just tell her we were Jedi, or give her our real names?"

Sidious paused thoughtfully, aware that he must be careful about choosing his words. "The Chancellor has reason not to trust the Jedi. It is best if she doesn't know."

"But we aren't normal Jedi. You said so yourself."

He smiled. "No, my young apprentice." The grin spread as he envisioned the moment when Leia would learn the truth. "We are not."

* * *

"Master?"

Anakin pretended to still be asleep.

"Master, you really aught to look at this."

Sighing, Anakin opened his eyes and leaned forward toward his Padawan. He immediately saw what had caught Perun's attention. The display was flashing a distress signal.

"Can you locate it's origin?" he asked.

Perun shook his head. "It's a Jedi code though."

"Pull back into real space," Anakin said, sitting upright, "and see if we can pick up a message."

Perun nodded, and began preparing while Anakin accessed a map of local hyperspace lanes. Matching them against the coordinates their nav computer was displaying provided a reasonable guess as to where they were, approximately twenty minutes from the planet Illum. Perhaps some unfortunate Padawan had gotten lost or trapped in the caves while searching for a crystal.

The stars stretched around them, and Anakin took over the controls while Perun opened all communications channels. Even before they'd stabilized, an urgent voice sounded over the comm.

"All teams report back to base. We have engaged the general. Repeat, all teams report back--"

There was a hollow, mechanical laugh, the cackle of a lightsaber igniting, and then nothing but static. Perun looked at Anakin.

"You don't think..."

"I do." Anakin turned the nose of the ship so that the ice planet appeared in the front viewports. "Let's go."


	17. In which fate lures two children away

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

_**In which fate (or the Force) lures two children into danger...**_

* * *

The enclave on Illum was an enormous labyrinth of twisting caverns, perfect for getting lost in. It did not take Morlana long to lose any would-be pursuers, but she continued her retreat into the caves until well after that. Her biggest fear -- what she'd dreamed about every night since the masters reported that they had finally located General Grievous -- was a repeat of what had happened on Dantooine. And now it looked like her nightmare had come true.

From what she understood of the situation (which was, she admitted, regrettably little) the former Separatist leader had been traced to a remote world in the Outer Rim. Believing that they had the upper hand, and not wanting to lose the trail again in the time it would take to contact Dantooine and Coruscant, three teams of Jedi had set out to arrest him. But somehow, Grievous had been aware they were coming. Before they even knew they were being ambushed, the hunters had become the hunted, and all six Jedi had been killed. Then Grievous had taken one of their ships, and used the coordinates programed into the nav computer to discover the location of the enclave.

The Masters had ordered everyone from the crèches to the archives to evacuate. There were rendezvous points in the deep recesses of the caves, where they could make a stand if the need arose.

But those places were still far off, and some of the younglings were tiring. Morlana paused her group near a frozen, underground lake, and finally thought to take a head count. Then she counted again, but arrived at the same number. One short.

Luke was missing.

* * *

To say that Luke was surprised when he and his friends were ushered out of their crèche before class time would have been an understatement, and to say he understood why Padawans and Masters alike were running past him into parts of the caverns he'd never been allowed into before would have been a downright lie. He did his best to keep up with Master Morlana's long strides, but twice someone cut through their line, and Luke, farthest back, fell behind a little each time.

He rounded the corner where he thought he'd seen Morlana disappear, and found himself at a cross roads, with none of his crèchemates in sight. What he could see was a path directly in front of him, one to his far right, and one veering off to the left. Most of the people around him were taking the last one, but no one Luke recognized.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw what looked like Ben's shiny blue form head down the right hand path, the only one that Luke knew from his wanderings; it was a series of sharp turns and blind corners that eventually led to the hanger bay.

He thought about it for a moment. He was sure that Morlana would have taken one of the obviously more populated pathways. But he didn't know which one, nor did he know where they led or who else had gone down them. So, like most children, he followed the familiar.

"Ben!" he called. "Wait!"

The ghost turned and frowned at him. "Luke, you shouldn't be here."

"I got lost," the boy replied defensively.

Ben muttered something in which the words "like your father" were clearly distinguishable.

Caught off guard by the comment, Luke asked, "Did you know my father?" The entire concept was foreign to him, having grown up in the Jedi enclave.

Ben ignored the question though. "Come here," he said briskly. "We've got to get you back to your crèche Master."

"But--"

"Do not try my patience, Luke. This is a very serious matter."

Luke sighed. He even had every intention of complying and letting Ben lead him back to Morlana. But that was before a terrified, high pitched scream sounded through the cavern. Now it was Ben's turn to sigh.

"Looks like you aren't the only one who got lost."

* * *

Anakin landed the cruiser rather haphazardly, coming down just outside the main hanger. He hadn't received a clearance code to land inside anyway, a fact he attributed to the Jedi either being evacuated, called to battle posts, or... _better not to consider that last one_, he thought.

Although he had been on Illum before, he had never actually visited the enclave, and so he stared around for a moment before picking a direction to follow. There were two entrances into the hanger. One lead to darkness. The other looked slightly better lit, and far better used.

"That way," he said, pointing toward the latter entrance.

Perun ran to catch up. "Why that way?"

Someone screamed from the direction he'd chosen, and Anakin looked back over his shoulder to catch Perun's eye. "That way sounds like chaos."

"Of course," Perun muttered. "Because why would we go anywhere if there wasn't chaos?"

* * *

Cy-Raxx Neirharmn toddled down the pathways, clutching a toy spaceship to her chest. It was a model of a new prototype which she dreamed of flying one day. And it had now gotten her into more trouble than she could have ever imagined was possible.

She'd been bored during her history lessons, so she'd simply gotten up from her place on the floor and walked out of the room. No one had stopped her; they probably all assumed she was just going to the 'fresher. Instead, Cy had decided to walk back to her crèche and retrieve her ship from the place she had hidden it under her bed. After all, attachment to objects was just as forbidden as attachment to people, but Cy wasn't about to let any of the Masters know how much the little model meant to her.

Then, when she'd returned to her classroom, she'd found that everyone had gone. There wasn't even any sign that a class had been there not ten minutes before. So Cy did the only logical thing she could think of: she cried.

A long moment passed, but nobody came back into the classroom. Still sniffling, and hating the way the cold always made her nose run, Cy then decided that the next most logical thing to do was to be brave, because all Jedi were brave, and find her own way back. She thought about where there was most likely to be a Master, looked down at her toy, and decided that the hanger would be a good place to start.

* * *

Now that he was back in a part of the enclave that he knew, Luke moved more quickly. He and Ben arrived at the hanger just in time to see two Jedi who he did not immediately recognize run down the other entrance. "Who are they?" he asked.

"I have no idea," Ben replied, using a tone that made Luke sure that he did, in fact, know exactly who the pair was. "Can you still sense your friend, Luke?"

Luke reached out, and felt the girl's fear again. She was definitely close; close enough that Luke could sense the sudden change in her emotions as she saw people run past her, and she turned determinedly to follow them.

"Maybe one of them is a Master," Luke mused aloud, thinking that maybe the unknown Jedi were familiar to the girl. Then, without waiting for Ben's response, he too ran off through the hanger and down the other cavern toward her.

Ben just sighed. _Well_, he thought, _this will be interesting._

* * *

Perun stopped, and so did Anakin. They glanced at each other, making sure they had both felt it -- a presence, following them through the cave. Then, as one, they spun on the spot, lightsabers suddenly igniting in their hands.

This time, the girl was too frightened to scream. Anakin almost laughed at the sight before them: a toddler, illuminated in the blue and green glows of their blades.

"You're letting children sneak up on you, Padawan?"

Perun retracted his lightsabers. "You weren't exactly prepared either."

Anakin was about to respond when another child peaked around the corner. This one -- blond haired, blue eyed, and older than the first -- came forward slowly to take the youngling's hand. His gaze never left Anakin's, as though he were appraising him. Anakin sighed. "I do not have time for this," he muttered.

Making matters worse, the hair on the back of his neck suddenly prickled, and Anakin thought he heard the echoes of footsteps. He gestured to Perun. "Take the kids. Get them out of here."

For all Perun's impetuous nature, he knew when to obey. In one fluid motion, he swept the younger girl up into his arms, grabbed the hand of the boy, and ran back toward the hanger.

Lightsaber ready, Anakin edged a bit further down the corridor, and waited.

* * *

Perun felt a surge in the Force, and heard the sounds of battle beginning behind him. He put on an extra burst of speed, not so much intent on getting the kids to safety as he was on rejoining Anakin. The boy struggled to keep pace with him, but Perun did not slow down.

They reached the hanger, and Perun paused, listening. He could still hear the lightsabers clashing against each other, the combatants moving... closer? He reached out across his mental link with Anakin, and found that his master was indeed in retreat.

He knew he didn't have much time. As gently as he could, he pried the girl's fingers off of his tabards and placed her on the ground. Then he looked very seriously at the boy. "Hide her somewhere, and stay with her. Can you do that?"

The boy nodded, grabbed the girl again, and ran off. Perun didn't even wait to see where they'd gone before turning back toward the cave entrance. He drew both his lightsabers -- the pale green that had been built on Yavin, and the blue that had once belonged to Obi-Wan Kenobi -- and thought back to his brief encounter with Grievous on Mustafar. He had scars running from wrist to elbow on both hands to remind him of how ill-prepared he'd been on that day. But now he had seven years of experience, and, more importantly, seven years working side by side with Anakin. This time, they would face him together.

* * *

Luke pulled the girl behind a crate. She still looked thoroughly terrified, though; he wondered if talking to her would help any.

"What's your name?" he asked, trying to keep his voice as low as possible.

Fortunately, she seemed to understand the need for silence. "Cy," she whispered back, a question in her green eyes.

"I'm Luke." He peeked around the crate, trying to find a better hiding spot. Cy tugged on his sleeve.

"Why?"

First he thought she was asking why he was named Luke, before realizing that she must be asking about why they were hiding. "I don't know," he responded truthfully.

At that moment, he heard the snap-hiss of lightsabers igniting. After making the decision that the hanger was not the safest place to stay, he spied the exit that would lead them outside; someone had left it open. He grabbed Cy's hand again, and together they bolted for the one ship that was there. It only took a few seconds for Luke to find the control panel that would lower the boarding ramp, and other couple to activate it. Cy ran inside and down the hallway; Luke let her go, closed the ramp again, and headed for the cockpit.


	18. In which Anakin gains a new copilot

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

_**In which Anakin gains a new co-pilot...**_

___Ready_.

It was not so much a direct thought that Anakin sensed from his Padawan as much as it was a firm determination that echoed his own. The two of them had spent the last two years pursuing Grievous, but always coming up with cold trails and dead ends. It seemed appropriate, somehow, that they should find him now, when they hadn't even been looking.

The bio-droid made a wide swipe which Anakin parried easily -- a feint. A second blade threatened to separate his left arm from his body, and only a lucky dodge saved him. He brought his own lightsaber around to attack the opening Grievous had left in his low guard.

Grievous retreated a step, but kept all four blades pointed at Anakin, who also retreated, and took the opportunity to study his opponent more closely. Like Perun, he bore the scars inflicted by the harsh environment of Mustafar; parts of his durasteel skeleton were blackened, as though the metal had not been tempered correctly. Some had veins of iridescent color running through them where the cooling had been inconsistent. The hand that Anakin had cut off was the only piece that was different. It had been replaced with a dextrous, gold tinged, human-looking hand not unlike the one that Anakin had received after his battle with Dooku.

They both leapt forward again at the same time, Anakin aiming a cut inward at the mechanical neck. Grievous blocked, but Anakin's blade was already moving again, this time in a round arc toward Grievous' unprotected back. Grievous spun to meet it, yellow eyes narrowing as he realized that he was now the one on the defensive. Anakin advanced further into the hanger, pushing Grievous back until two more lightsabers joined the duel.

Perun moved with the grace and fluidity of a dancer; Anakin's strikes were sharp and defined. Finally, Grievous seemed to realize that they held the advantage here. He executed a backflip that carried him just out of reach of their lightsabers.

At that point, something behind Grievous caught Anakin's eye. Their ship was moving into the hanger.

* * *

Luke loved starships. He was the only initiate in his crèche to have already completed an advanced level in the flight simulator, something usually reserved for when one became a Padawan. Master Morlana had even promised that if he could keep out of trouble for a month, she would take him out to the ice-fields and let him pilot one of the landspeeders.

He hadn't exactly kept up his end of the bargain, and this was a far cry from a landspeeder, but he thought Morlana would understand.

His first mission was to get the ship moving, at least so he could turn it to face into the hanger. Although these controls had been modified from the original model, it didn't take Luke long to get the engines warm.

"What," asked a stern, steady voice behind him, "do you think you're doing?"

Luke flicked on the repulsers, giving the ship just enough lift to hover, and thought idly that his friend had an annoying habit of showing up totally out of the... blue. "I'm going back to help."

"This is no time to play hero, Luke."

"I'm not playing," he insisted. "This is serious, Ben."

"As if I didn't tell you that not ten minutes ago." The ghost sighed when he saw that Luke had no intention of listening to reason. "Very well. Keep moving straight and slow. Let the Force guide you."

It came surprisingly easy. Energy seemed to swirl around him, using the crystal he still kept in his pocket as a focus point. Luke let it lead his hands from the throttle to the yoke, and then to the targeting lock.

For two years, the mechanical terror in the caves had populated nightmares in which Luke was stolen from the enclave. He didn't know why he had these dreams, or even who the villain was. But now he knew one thing for certain.

Ben had told him that he must face his nightmares. And today he would.

"Now," his friend said.

Luke's fingers found the trigger of the forward gun turret.

* * *

"_Now!_"

Obi-Wan's voice rang through his head, and for once Anakin did not pause to question the memory. He jumped as Grievous charged toward them again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the gun turrets following them. He landed lightly, and turned to look more closely while Grievous traded blows with Perun. One of the children was at the controls, squinting through the viewport.

"You put them on the ship?" he cried, incredulous.

"I told them to hide themselves," Perun called back, ducking another swipe and trying to make eye contact over Grievous' shoulder. "It's not my fault they think for themselves."

Anakin swore under his breath, spun to meet Grievous' attack, and then leapt aside again as a stream of green laser bolts melted the snow he'd been standing on, revealing black rock underneath. The next round of fire narrowly missed Perun, but did manage to hit the lightsaber in Grievous' left primary hand. Anakin reached out with the Force, and used it to call the hilt into his hand; he clipped it to his belt before resuming a ready stance.

There was a brief lapse in the action. Grievous lowered his weapons -- a bait that Anakin refused to fall for -- and locked eyes with the kid. Then, turning back to Anakin, he said, "Jedi." There was a sneer evident in his voice. "You never learn, do you?"

He was running before Anakin had a chance to respond. There was another spray from the gun turrets, following Grievous as he made for one of the ships. The cave wall took the majority of the hits, and as soon as the firing ceased, the stone rumbled ominously.

"Perun!" The Padawan had started to run after their adversary, and Anakin pulled him back with a jerk of the Force just before a very large rock fell into his path. For a long moment, Perun simply stared as Grievous managed to seal himself into the cockpit of a one-man fighter and blast out of the hanger.

"What, did he suddenly gain enough Force sensitivity to have premonition?" Perun asked dryly.

"No, he's just very good at manipulating his environment." Anakin gave the boy in the cockpit of his own ship a meaningful glare. "Come on. We can still follow him."

Fortunately, it seemed the boy had understood his meaning. The boarding ramp opened as he approached, and Anakin wasted no time in making his way to the cockpit. The pilot's seat had already been vacated, and the boy had a half-guilty, half-apologetic expression on his face as he asked Anakin, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Only if you fly better than my Padawan." Anakin replied, his fingers already flying over the controls. He was surprised when he looked up and realized that the kid had taken over the co-pilot's duties, and he grinned despite himself. "Well, you certainly are audacious."

"Audi-what?"

"He means you have an attitude." Perun had finally reached the cockpit, but he turned around again and called over his shoulder, "I'll go man the other turret."

A moment later, Anakin heard the signal alarm that told him Perun was preparing the guns; like Anakin, he had learned not to rely on computer targeting systems, so those lights stayed off. There were other lights coming on, though, as the boy readied the ship to take off. Satisfied that the kid really did know what he was doing, Anakin finally pushed the throttle forward and sent the ship hurtling out the hanger. The boy had barely secured his safety straps before Anakin grabbed the yoke and pulled them up sharply, the stabilizers protesting. Anakin ignored the whine; he could always fix his ship, and this might be his only chance to catch Grievous.

Beside him, the boy was doing an admirable job of keeping up with his pace. The Force was obviously strong in him, and he kept his focus even as they entered the thick, grey cloud layer over Ilum.

Anakin sensed the ship before he saw it, and Perun fired as soon as it came into range. The comm, left open from the transmission they'd picked up earlier, suddenly exploded with angry voices -- voices that were definitely not Grievous.

"Master Kaito?" The boy must have recognized something amid all the babble, because he suddenly grabbed the comm and said, "Master Kaito, it's me. Luke."

"Luke?" There was silence on the other end, no doubt while the Jedi attempted to figure out what he was hearing, and then, "What are you _doing?_"

Anakin flicked a switch, routing the call back to the inboard microphone at his own station. He gave his call sign, then continued, "This is Anakin Skywalker. We believe Grievous escaped the enclave in an Eta-class fighter. Can you confirm any sight--" He was cut off by a loud burst of static as they broke through the clouds, and Anakin suddenly wanted to scream in frustration.

He was being followed by not one, but six Eta-4 starfighters, including the one that they'd shot at.

"Skywalker," said Master Kaito, apparently the group's leader, "My team and I were returning from a mission on Adumar when we received the call back to base. Obviously we missed most of the action. What else can you tell us?"

"Only that Grievous escaped again." He switched the comm off for a moment, and took several long, deep breaths while Luke took over, telling the other Masters about the evacuation of the enclave. Anakin cut him off with a sharp hand gesture as a new thought occurred to him. "Master Kaito," he said quickly, "wouldn't you and your team have needed hyperdrive rings to reach Adumar?"

"Of course. They are in orbit not far from here, waiting to be picked up by a cruiser." The man on the other end seemed confused, then realization slowly seemed to dawn. "You believe that Grievous may have taken one."

"Only one way to find out." Anakin and the others followed Master Kaito back to the rendezvous point. Sure enough, there were only five hyperdrive rings still waiting there. Someone sighed over the comm unit.

"We should not have been so careless."

"You couldn't have known," Anakin replied, trying desperately to keep his disappointment out of his voice. He'd been so close...

There was silence for a long moment, and then Master Kaito said, "We ought to return to the enclave. Skywalker, we'd welcome your help."

"No." Anakin was thinking quickly now, a plan was already beginning to form itself in his mind. "Go back and convene with your Council. My padawan and I will stay close to the planet. I... have a feeling..." he let his sentence trail off, then added, "If you can contact us with any information on the missing ship, we might be able to track him. The sooner we begin the search, the better."

Master Kaito considered this, then replied, "Alright. We will contact the Council on Coruscant as well. Good luck on your search. May the Force be with you."

* * *

The Etas returned to Ilum, where Kaito received a full report. They had been lucky. The only casualties had been the six Jedi originally sent after Grievous, and one brave-but-stupid young Knight who had made the call to return instead of evacuating with the others.

They identified the stolen ship, and sent the call signal and comm frequency out to Anakin. There was no reply from the Coruscanti team; perhaps he had already found some trail to follow, and had put himself on comm silence so he could not be discovered. Kaito didn't take much time to dwell on it. Everyone knew the stories about Anakin Skywalker; while there was no doubt that he was dedicated to the Order, he was always on his own quest.

His next duty was to find and alert the evacuees that it was safe to return to the enclave. It was not until he found an obviously distraught crèche master named Morlana that he remembered that Luke Naberrie was still onboard Anakin's ship.

* * *

Perun came back to the cockpit when it became apparent that they weren't chasing anyone anymore. He looked from Anakin to the kid and back, then asked somewhat sarcastically, "Can I have my seat back, Master?"

The boy scrambled out of the co-pilot's chair. "I should go and find Cy anyway," he said.

"What?" Then he remembered that there had been two children. "You brought the girl here too? I told you to hide her."

"We were hiding!"

"I didn't mean on board our--"

"Padawan." Anakin's voice was calm but firm, and Perun immediately caught the insinuation that his arguing was not appropriate. He looked away, and took several deep breaths to calm himself.

Anakin turned a much gentler expression to the boy, and continued in a much softer tone, "It's alright. Go and find your friend, Luke."

"Luke?" Perun felt his jaw drop even as the name left his mouth.

"Yes," Anakin replied, now looking rather skeptically at Perun. "That's his name. Are you feeling well, Padawan?"

Perun quickly shook his head to rid it of his wide eyed expression. "Yes. Yes, I'm fine, Master. Actually, why don't I go and find the girl."

He left the cockpit before either Luke or Anakin could protest, afraid that if he stayed he might spill the secret he'd spent seven years keeping.


	19. In which children are discussed

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

_**In which Dark Lords and Children are discussed...**_

Perun found the girl in the first place he looked, and the last place he wanted her to be: his cabin. She had taken his spare cloak and was hiding underneath it, huddled against the wall at the far end of the bed. Sighing quietly to himself -- it was _not_ his responsibility to babysit lost younglings -- he walked over and pulled the fabric away from her face. She looked up at him, clearly terrified.

"It's alright," he said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She promptly reached behind her and tugged the hood over her face again. "Fine," Perun muttered, and flopped down on the other end of the bunk with his head in his hands. There was a long moment of silence, and then he felt the blankets shift as the girl crawled up next to him. He looked up in time to see her tiny hand reaching for his face. "Okay?" she asked, now patting his cheek in a rather awkward fashion.

"Yeah, okay," he finally conceded, sitting up straight again. "I just can't believe this is happening, and that I reacted like that. Anakin's going to get suspicious, and if he realizes that Luke is his son--"

Two words too late, he remembered he was speaking out loud. He turned a now worried gaze on the girl. "You can keep a secret, right?"

She nodded slowly, and Perun gave a relieved sigh.

"Good," he told her. "I know it's no fun to keep secrets, but I'll make it up to you." Then he realized that he was trying to rationalize with a toddler.

He quickly removed himself from her presence, so he could say what he really thought of the whole situation without her overhearing.

* * *

Perun had just completed a rather long list of expletives in Basic, Huttese, Bocce, and Twi'lek (complete with hand gestures to mimic the movements of the lekku), and was starting on Mandalorian when a voice in the corner commented mildly, "I see Anakin has taught you well."

He still swore loudly, to which Obi-Wan added, "Nice to see you too, Perun."

"It's not that," he amended quickly, "You just startled me, is all."

"Of course."

"Don't pretend that you don't have an affinity for it."

Obi-Wan spread his semi-transparent hands in defeat. "Alright. But you must admit that it's amusing."

"To you, maybe," Perun replied, trying and failing to keep his face straight. Then he sobered again, adding, "And to Anakin, I'm sure."

"Then you'll enjoy telling him about it. But not yet. Anakin has slightly more important things to deal with right now than the spirit of his long dead Master."

"Like his son."

The ghostly aura around Obi-Wan darkened, perhaps an indication of his mood. "I meant like General Grievous, actually. I'm sure he hasn't told you yet, seeing how you fled the scene earlier, but his instincts are good. Grievous never left Ilum. He is hoping to lure the Jedi into some kind of trap."

"And how, exactly, do you know this?"

"I'm an omnipotent Force Ghost, remember?" Obi-Wan replied dryly.

Perun seemed less than amused. "Alright Master Force Ghost, what's your plan then?"

"Plan? Ask Anakin." He started to fade. "Don't worry. I'll look after Luke."

* * *

Every so often, Anakin took his eyes off the scanners to look over at Luke. The boy was a remarkably good pilot. Anakin had only needed to explain the system once, and Luke had adapted as though he'd been flying the ship his whole life. Although he didn't necessarily agree with having the initiate on board, he couldn't deny that he was grateful for the boy's presence, especially now, when Perun was acting so strange.

He reached out across his bond with his Padawan, but found that Perun was being distracted by other thoughts. They flew past too quickly for Anakin to get more than a vague sense of apprehension from them, and he didn't attempt to pry further. He did, however, make a mental note to speak to Perun in depth about it later.

Luke suddenly yawned loudly, and Anakin hid a grin at the boy's valiant effort to cover it up. "Tired?" he asked. "I expect this has been a long day for you."

The mop of blond hair moved as Luke shook his head in obvious denial.

"I think you should rest anyway," Anakin told him.

He was not prepared for the boy's reaction. As talented a pilot as he was, Luke was still less than adept at shielding his emotions. In a rush, Anakin was assaulted by a genuine sense of fear of memories that neither he nor Luke apparently understood. With some variation, all revolved around the same central idea; being taken to an unknown place by the shadowy figure of General Grievous.

Anakin blinked, and Luke looked at him apologetically. "Sorry. Ben always tells me I don't have a strong enough hold on my emotions."

"It's alright." Anakin tried a reassuring smile. "I understand. I know a thing or two about nightmares."

"You?" Luke asked, disbelieving. "But they say you're not afraid of anything."

"They -- whoever they are -- lied." He made a dismissing gesture, and tried to prompt Luke back toward the original topic. "Go on. Tell me about your dreams."

After a moment's hesitation, Luke spoke. "Sometimes I'm in class, or sometimes I'm meditating with Ben. Then it gets really dark and cold, and I notice that I'm alone all of a sudden. And sometimes I hear lightsabers, so I go toward that. And sometimes he's there waiting for me, but sometimes he's not paying attention, he's talking to a hologram that he calls Master."

Anakin cut off Luke's story (which was becoming quite rushed and mumbled by the end) and asked, "What do you know about Grievous' Master?"

"Not much," Luke replied. "He's always a hologram, and he's always wearing a hood. But I bet I'd know his voice if I heard it. It's all..." Luke appeared to be thinking very hard about what the right description was, and finally settled on "crackly."

Anakin did not respond. Parts of Luke's report were beginning to sound eerily familiar; like the intelligence reports they had sometimes received during the Clone Wars. But that was impossible. Sidious had been killed years ago; it had been Anakin who killed him.

"Oh," Luke added, interrupting his thoughts, "once he had a girl with him. She had a hood too."

_An apprentice_, Anakin thought, now even more suspicious. He wished that his memory of the last few months of the Clone Wars was less of a blur. But so much had happened in so little time following Obi-Wan's death, and Anakin had been so determined to exact revenge on Grievous that he'd come dangerously close to the dark side, and it had affected his thinking. Perhaps he would ask Perun. The two of them rarely spoke about the beginning of his apprenticeship, because parts of it were painful for both of them.

As if on cue, Perun chose that moment to reappear, coming up silently behind Luke and leaning easily over the top of the seat. Luke gave a startled yelp and jumped toward Anakin, leaving the chair open for Perun. Anakin couldn't help it; he laughed.

"Look, Master," Perun said, also chuckling, "you've offended him."

It was true, to a certain extent. Luke was giving them both his best seven-year-old scowl. It was rather endearing, especially because Anakin knew he had given his friends on Tatooine much the same look on more than a few occasions.

"I think," he said, when he had his voice under control again, "that my Padawan's arrival was a subtle sign from the Force that you should go to sleep now, little one."

Luke sighed, and dragged his feet a bit as he shuffled out. Anakin put a hand on his shoulder as he went past. "And don't worry," he said, "if you do dream, we'll know, and we'll wake you."

Looking marginally happier, Luke finally left, shutting the door quietly behind him. "I had no idea you were so good with kids, Master," Perun commented idly once Luke was out of earshot. Then, somewhat cautiously, he added, "You could have been a good father."

"Maybe," Anakin replied, "but the Order tends to frown on that."

They lapsed into contemplative silence, until Perun finally asked, "What are we looking for, anyway?"

"Anything. The missing ring was to easy. It was meant to throw us off. But just in case..."

"The rest of the Council knows that he could have left the system." Anakin did not respond immediately, so Perun asked, "Right?"

"I actually have yet to contact Coruscant." Anakin waited until Perun was finished rolling his eyes before continuing. "I wanted a bit more information first, and I wanted you with me. You always remember everything they say, which makes it easier to find loopholes in their rules."

"You know," Perun said dryly, "one day they're going to figure out how we keep getting around everything, and they aren't going to be happy."

"I don't much care what the Council thinks. I would have thought you knew that by now." He smiled, but his tone was quieter and more somber as he continued. "This is worth loosing a seat on the Council, if we can find Grievous. He's killed so many Jedi..." He suddenly pulled the lightsaber he had retrieved during the fight off of his belt to examine it more closely. "Do you recognize this?"

Perun shook his head. "My memory is audial, not visual."

"It belonged to a Jedi Knight named Aayla Secura. She was working with the teams here on Ilum."

"I knew her. I sparred with her Padawan a few times."

Anakin seemed surprised by this. "I didn't know she had taken an apprentice." He looked back down at the lightsaber. "I guess I have something in common with the kid."

* * *

The Eta-class fighter had been crashed -- hyperdrive and all -- into a large snowbank, effectively hiding it from ground and arial view. The nice thing about snow, Grievous reflected, was that it was soft and forgiving in the right spots. It was how he had survived his crash on Mustafar, landing in volcanic ash.

He waited until nightfall, when the temperature fell to a low enough point that all but the heartiest life forms sought shelter, and made his way to a nearby cave where he could safely open a communication channel.

There was static at first, and then finally the hooded form of Darth Sidious came into view. "General," he said by way of greeting. "You are late with your report."

"I seized an opportunity, my Lord," Grievous replied. "The Jedi on Ilum--"

Sidious did not give him a chance to finish. "Were obviously better defended than you thought."

"Not precisely, Lord Sidious. There was an unforeseen complication." He paused briefly, allowing his words to gather weight. "Skywalker was there."

Sidious looked thoughtful. "You are certain it was him?"

"Yes. He is searching now, my Lord. He is anxious. He will make mistakes if I face him soon--"

"You seem rather anxious for this encounter yourself, General." Grievous hated the way that Sidious could see his hidden motives. Dealing with Dooku had ben easier. "True, Skywalker is a liability, and he will be eliminated. But we will keep to the plan; the Jedi involved does not matter. You will lead him into deep space. My associate will meet you there."

The hologram turned a bit before the channel closed, and Grievous caught the briefest glimpse of a figure in Mandalorian armor. So, Sidious didn't think he could defeat Skywalker. He would show them.

He would show them both.


	20. In which Anakin attempts to act masterly

_**Chapter Eighteen**_

_**In which Anakin Attempts to Act Masterly...**_

Most of the time, Perun was fine with letting Anakin make decisions for the both of them. After all, Anakin was the Master, and Perun was supposed to be learning from his experience and trusting his judgement. But this...

_It's things like this that make the Council watch you all the time, Master._

In the hour or so that Perun had been sleeping, Anakin had apparently picked up coordinates broadcast from a local fighter, checked in at the enclave to confirm that none of their teams had sent them, and then promptly gone off chasing the ship they'd come from. Perun had found Luke and Cy staring out a viewport, fascinated by the journey through hyperspace.

"Master," he said, once he'd reached the cockpit, "This has 'bad idea' written all over it."

"Thank you for that opinion, Padawan." Anakin's voice was infuriatingly calm. "What would make you think so?"

"Remember when we talked about refueling?"

"We've got plenty of fuel left still. It was enough to get us to Coruscant, anyway."

"That was before we spent an extra day in realspace travel around Ilum. And what do you propose we do with the kids now?"

Anakin's silence told him all he needed to know about how much he'd considered this problem. "Master, we're taking them into danger. They're _children_."

"I know." Anakin's voice was barely above a whisper. "It isn't fair to them, especially Cy; she's too young to understand. But if it makes you feel any better, I did ask Luke if he'd rather go back."

"And of course he said no," Perun responded, "because what kid wouldn't want a chance to say 'I helped the Hero With No Fear.'"

"People really need to stop calling me that," Anakin mumbled quietly. His voice still lacked it's usual joking quality though; he was obviously thinking very hard about something. "There's something else I think you should know. Luke told me he'd dreamed about being captured by Grievous, like that girl from Dantooine was. If there's any connection between the two, if Luke was the target of the attack..."

He let his sentence trail off into silence. Personally, Perun thought it unlikely that the focus had been on Luke at all, but if that girl had been who he suspected it was, the fact that Luke had been involved at all was an awful coincidence. "I suppose it's possible," he finally said. "We should keep a close watch on him, I guess."

"Speaking of which, where are our passengers?"

"Exploring, probably. One of us should probably intercept them before they get too curious."

"I'll go," Anakin replied, standing up. "I'll show them the galley. I don't know about you, Padawan, but I'm starving."

Perun couldn't help himself. "Make sure they eat their vegetables."

* * *

In the years following the Clone Wars, the majority of it's soldiers had disbanded. Coruscant still saw the occasional parade of white armored troopers, but most of the clones had moved on to other work. Some returned to Kamino, where they trained the new recruits; others went to support local militias on various Republic worlds; a small percentage delivered packages in and around the Core as part of a service affectionately dubbed _Fett-Ex_; and a handful had been selected to live and train in the Jedi Temple. Commander Cody was proud to be one of those select few.

His class consisted of a half-dozen Padawans between the ages of twelve and sixteen. They gathered in the expansive Room of a Thousand Fountains, ready to begin a run that would take them through the better part of the Temple's lower levels and probably last about a standard hour.

"Ready, kids?"

There were some general murmurs of acceptance -- no one really liked running with the high-stamina clones -- and then Cody said, "Let's go, then," and broke into a light jog.

It wasn't long before a figure with head tails, long robes, and an equally flowing gait fell into step beside him, and Cody turned to grin at Kit Fisto. "General," he said, using the title he'd never felt entirely comfortable giving up, "I take it you'll be joining us today?"

"Why not?" Kit replied. "It looked like fun."

One of the older and more daring Padawans groaned at the mention of "fun," and Cody turned around so he could face the teenager. "Now really," he said, running backward and trusting the General to warn him of any approaching obstacles, "what are you going to tell your Master the first time you have to run like this on a mission?"

"We aren't at war anymore, Sir. My next mission is just negotiating a trade treaty on Noixxarb."

"It's never that simple, Padawan." Kit's voice carried a certain _Believe me, I know_ quality to it, and the Padawan continued running with his head down. Even without the Force, Cody could tell the boy was embarrassed, so he tried to lighten the mood and distract the others. "Besides," he said, "if we veterans can do it, the least you younglings can do is keep up."

There was no argument, and discussion ceased until they reached their end point and stopped for water. Cody sat at the edge of the reflecting pool and eyed Kit. While the students chatted amongst themselves, Cody asked in a low voice, "With all due respect, General, you never do anything without two good reasons. So I find it difficult to believe that you joined us just for the exercise."

The corners of Kit's mouth twitched upwards. "I have a proposition for you. And I'll need to speak with Padawan Alekash when we're finished."

The boy who had spoken up earlier looked over when he heard his name, but Kit merely continued as though he hadn't noticed. "Skywalker finally made it to a Council session, albeit not in person. It seems he's had a run-in with General Grievous near Ilum; he and Perun are in pursuit. We're supposed to rendez-vous with him in the Mykriel system."

"So specific?"

"Grievous stole a Jedi fighter, and the coordinates were broadcast over the enclave's comm channel when they were changed. I think Skywalker is heading into a trap, but he's of the opinion that it's worth the risk if we can catch him."

Cody nodded, then asked, "We, Sir?" as the General's subtle hints started to sink in.

"You were my first choice of partner," Kit replied. "You've faced Grievous before, and Skywalker occasionally listens to you. So, are you up for it?"

"One-hundred percent."

Kit grinned at him. "Glad to hear it. We'll leave as soon as you're ready. But first," he motioned toward the Padawan who was still watching him curiously, "I'm afraid I must deliver some unfortunate news concerning Master Secura."

Cody caught the briefest flash of sorrow on the Padawan's face, as though he already knew what Kit was going to say.

* * *

The first thing that Anakin learned about Luke was that he wanted to help everyone. Including, it seemed, beings that only he could see.

"Who," he was finally forced to ask when Luke pulled out an extra seat for this mysterious friend of his, "is Ben?"

Luke thought for a minute, then replied, "I think he's a Jedi, but I'm not sure. He's really secretive."

Anakin glanced again at the still-empty seat. "And, uh, what does Ben look like?"

"Blue," Luke replied, as though this were the simplest thing in the galaxy.

"Ah." Anakin considered a response, then decided it wasn't worth it to push the issue. Blue spirits occasionally visited his dreams, but the event was becoming rarer and rarer as time went on. Luke certainly didn't need to know about them. He was sure that the over-enthusiastic youngling would plague him with a never ending stream of questions if he found out they had shared similar experiences, and Luke already asked plenty of questions.

"How about some milk?" Anakin asked, pulling the container from the refrigeration unit and setting it on the counter.

Luke nodded, and Cy picked her head up from the drawing she'd been furiously scribbling on a napkin long enough to inquire, "Me too?"

Anakin poured three glasses, then filled a fourth as sort of an afterthought to take to Perun. His Padawan had insisted he needed time for meditation, but since in all the years he'd known Perun the boy had never meditated voluntarily, Anakin didn't believe this excuse in the slightest.

After getting assurances from both children that they would stay out of trouble, Anakin went in search of his apprentice. It didn't take him long; Perun was, in fact, sitting in the most likely place, the spare cabin that they'd converted into a workroom. The same way that Anakin compulsively fixed or modified droids when he needed to think, Perun built lightsabers. He could hear the gentle tinkering that meant Perun was working on a new hilt, and also the low murmur of his Padawan's voice.

"I don't like this," he muttered under his breath. "It doesn't feel right."

"I assume you aren't talking about the 'saber?"

Perun started. "I didn't know you were listening, Master."

"Who were you talking to, then?"

"No one."

"Perun, take it from someone with first hand experience. Lying to your Master is a bad idea."

"So is disobeying the Council."

Anakin could tell that Perun regretted the words as soon as they'd left his mouth. The younger man turned away to hide the flush creeping up his cheeks, but Anakin could still see the edges of his ears turning pink. He bit back a sharp retort of his own, and sat down beside Perun.

"What's bothering you, Padawan? You've been especially jumpy since we left Ilum." He paused a moment, then asked, "Is this anything to do with Luke?"

It took Perun a moment to respond, but he finally looked up long enough to reply, "I suppose you could say that."

He was still avoiding the topic though, leaving Anakin vaguely frustrated. He wished he had been graced with Obi-Wan's patience, or his ability to see right to the heart of a conflict and confront it directly.

It couldn't be that hard, could it? Perun was his Padawan, after all; he knew the boy better than anyone. What were Perun's insecurities? What had his own worst fears been during his apprenticeship?

_Abandonment._

"I'm not trying to replace you, Padawan," Anakin said slowly. "You know that, right, Perun?"

"I-- what?"

Anakin put a hand on Perun's shoulder, and continued in his best impersonation of Obi-Wan, "I'm not blind. This shift in your usual sarcastic-but-pleasant demeanor began immediately after you met Luke. And while I won't deny the kid's a natural pilot, a

boy after my own heart, I'm not looking to train him. I put too much effort into training you to quit now." He hesitated a moment, then added, "So we're okay now, right?"

"Yeah." Perun met his gaze and smiled. "I'll come out as soon as I finish this. And... thanks, Master."

Anakin ruffled Perun's hair affectionately as he stood to leave. He imagined Obi-Wan would have been proud of him.


	21. In which enemy and ally blur

_**Chapter Nineteen**_

_**In which the lines between enemy and ally are blurred...**_

Sometimes Leia forgot that she was only known as Danae when she was in the Senate, and it took a few moments before she remembered to respond to the name. But the more she introduced herself, the less she thought of herself as Leia Naberrie. Even her master rarely called her by her given name; she was most often affectionately referred to as "my apprentice" by Razvan.

She had come to realize a few things about her slightly eccentric master over the last two years. He was obviously estranged from their fellow Jedi. Although he had taken her to the Temple once, dressed as any of the other masters, he hadn't exchanged more than strained-but-courteous greetings with the others who they passed. Afterwards, this new Temple had seemed too cold and distant compared with Dantooine for her to ever be comfortable there; it was easier to stay with her rescuer, and let him lead her back to the city district near the Senate that she was already beginning to think of as home.

There was something else too, something about being around Razvan that made her feel special. Not even six years old, and he'd chosen her to become his apprentice. And now he was trusting her with her own part in their mission, the full details of which she did not completely understand but still accepted whole-heartedly. All she knew was that Amidala did not trust the Jedi, and it was her job to restore that trust over time.

She smiled warmly as the Chancellor entered the office, followed closely by a dignitary from Alderaan. "I just don't understand why we aren't considering all possibilities. The Jedi--"

"Are peacekeepers," Padmé cut in, "not politicians. We don't need to bring them into this."

The man -- Bail Organa, if Leia recalled correctly -- sighed wearily. "And what is this that we've entered into, exactly? You can't just call it squabbling anymore, not after that debate we just heard."

"It's been a long time since the Senate has needed to elect a chancellor." Padmé sat facing Bail, although he remained standing. "I was nominated with no serious opposition, and Palpatine presided for almost thirteen years before me. People are ready for change, and everyone seems to have two opinions on the matter. I just hope the infighting settles down in time for an election."

"It certainly doesn't seem likely, not without you endorsing a candidate." He put up a hand to stop her protest. "I know-- it shouldn't seem as though you are merely passing on the mantle of office to one who supports all the same ideals. But you're well respected, Padmé, and the people would listen to you."

"That's just it, Bail. They shouldn't follow blindly. It's the same trap we fell into during the Clone Wars."

For a long moment the senator's face was creased with worry, and then he gave an unexpected laugh. "Listen to us, Padmé. I think age has effected our optimism."

"Or perhaps our wisdom." There was a slight answering smile at the corners of her mouth. "What happened to us? We grew up with so much idealism..."

"We grew up in troubled times, and we spent some of the most formative years of our lives at war. Of course we were idealists. We wanted to change things."

"And now we have."

_And now the next generation gets a shot_, Leia thought. _Now _I_ get to change things._

_And I think I know exactly where to start._

* * *

"Approaching coordinates, Master Skywalker."

"Buckle in, then. The jump back to realspace can be a bit sharp."

Luke slid out of the co-pilot's chair and moved to the jump seat, while Perun took the now vacated space with Cy on his lap; she was too small for any of the safety restraints, and Anakin seemed to think they would need them.

Re-entering realspace was Perun's favorite part of travel, since it usually meant they had reached their destination and he would be free of the confines of the ship. No such luck now, of course. They might be searching for a while too; there were no life signs anywhere in the immediate area, and he figured that even Grievous would need to project a weak one--

Something smashed into their rear deflector shield, making Perun lurch forward and in turn causing Cy to scream. Anakin swung sharply to port, bringing the viewport around just in time to see the pointed tail of a ship trying to maneuver behind them again.

"That's a Firespray," Luke said, fighting his restraints for a better view. "Patrol and attack craft."

"Attack?" Perun asked sarcastically, "Really? I hadn't noticed." The Padawan was currently having his own problems, trying to settle a squirming Cy so that he could see the control panel.

"Does it have a call sign?" Anakin was too busy flying, turning haphazardly to avoid putting them back in the path of the Firespray, to look at the computer.

"It does."

"Do you recognize it?"

"Unfortunately."

When the Clone Wars had ended, a list had been compiled of the ships and their mercenary pilots who had aided the Separatists, and Perun had spent so much time looking it over that every one of those numbers was firmly affixed into his memory. "326-Jenth-38-Besh.27," he said. "_Slave I_."

"Brilliant." Anakin executed a spiral that made Perun's stomach roll. "A bounty hunter. I take it that means we're clear to shoot back."

"I'd say so." Perun began powering up the forward guns. "They're coming around for another pass."

"I see it." Anakin clenched his jaw as he analyzed the situation, taking in the trajectories of the two ships, their speed, and their likely power of attack all in a half-second. "She's going to catch us. Bring the left deflector shields up to full power."

"Yes, Master -- Ah! Stop that, Cy!" Having apparently caught sight of the other ship in the viewport, the girl had chosen that moment to turn herself around and bury her face in Perun's shoulder. He tried to reach around her, but her grip on his tunic impeded his extension. Another round of laser fire brought their defensive shields down to 60%.

"I said full power!"

"I'm trying!"

"I can help!" This time, Luke did release his seat restraints and scramble over to stand between Anakin and Perun. "Let me help!"

"You want to help? Fine." Perun half-lifted, half-pushed Cy off of his lap. "_You_ can hold her."

But all this resulted in was further chaos, as Cy latched herself onto the edge of Perun's seat and refused to let go. Luke tried to move her, but her grip proved to be remarkably strong for a three year old, and Perun finally had to tell Luke to stop pulling before he dislocated Cy's shoulder. And Anakin was still twisting the ship through evasive maneuvers, trying to catch _Slave I_ on an angle where they could return fire.

And then something in his face changed subtly, a determined look flashed across his eyes, and he changed course again to follow a third blip that had just appeared on the computer screen.

"Get a targeting lock on Grievous," he said in an almost deadly calm voice. "That's our priority right now."

"Really? I would think our priority was not getting blown out of the sky." Despite his comment, Perun did as he was told; it took a minute of fumbling with the system before he added, "Kriff computers," and switched to a manual targeting mode. He kept one eye on Grievous and the other on the computer, watching the closing distance between them and the Firespray with no small amount of trepidation.

Then, instead of coming straight on and attempting to catch them in the pincer movement that Perun had expected, Grievous veered off course, lasers bursting from the ship's turrets as he went, so that his next round of fire went to _Slave I_.

"Okay," Perun muttered, "now which one do we shoot at?"

"Both?" Anakin suggested. His eyes were following Grievous' one-man fighter, who was now twisting up onto the planes of its side, now flattening out and turning again, avoiding _Slave I_'s returning fire. One of the bolts shattered the transparisteel of the cockpit, but Grievous, protected by his durasteel exoskeleton, remained unfazed by the vacuum of space. It also left him vulnerable.

There was a very large part of Perun that wanted to shut his eyes and not watch as Anakin took them speeding into the center of the dogfight, but he fought the impulse and focused on keeping the Eta in the sights of the targeting lock. They flew past Grievous once, and Perun swung the guns from their usual forward facing position so that he could shoot at the bio-droid. Then Anakin doubled them back around to come up on Grievous' other side--

But they came in too close, head on with the open fighter. Perun caught the briefest flash of a sneer in the yellow eyes before Anakin pulled up sharply-- and then the ship bucked as _Slave I_'s lasers finally hit their left stabilizers, and even Anakin looked slightly panicked for a moment. They jerked rather haphazardly to the left, spiraling away from the fight with both ships closing too fast for Perun's liking.

Cy had gone from screaming to crying. Luke reached out and tried to put his arms around her, as much for his own stability as for her comfort, but she pushed him away with a touch of the Force, and he fell against the control panel with a slight yelp of his own, one hand outstretched over the switch that controlled the sublight engines--

Silence fell over the ship as the stars suddenly elongated around them again, and the cabin was flooded with the familiar blue-white light of hyperspace. Even Cy stopped sniffling and looked up at them with wide, frightened green eyes.

Finally, Anakin turned to Luke, and if Cy had seemed scared, it was nothing to the expression that flitted across the boy's face when Anakin spoke.

"What did you _do_?"

_

* * *

_

Boba Fett took several deep breaths before he switched on his comm system. He was not even sure that Grievous would receive communications with his ship in the condition it was in (unfortunate, but the bio-droid had left him with no choice). There was static at first, then a hazy image of a seething General Grievous.

"I had him," he said, yellow eyes narrowed behind the durasteel mask. "I had him, and then you--"

"No, General. _I_ had him before you showed up." Boba kept all but the barest hint of frustration and annoyance from his voice, and was glad that his helmet hid any telling signs he might project otherwise. "You're lucky I didn't disintegrate you for getting in my way."

There was a long pause; the General coughed, and then disappeared as the hologram flickered off, returning Boba to a silent cockpit bathed in red light. A moment later, a distress call began to sound over the inboard computer. If there were any pirates in the area, they would flock to the damaged ship, hoping for loot; instead they would find only Grievous, lying in wait for another, working transport.

Boba did not wait to see how the commandeering would play out. The Jedi may have disappeared into hyperspace, but that didn't mean he was incapable of tracking them.


	22. In which actions have repercussions

_**Chapter Twenty**_

_**In which actions have dangerous repercussions...**_

There was a long moment of silence in the cockpit; Luke appeared to be searching unsuccessfully for some satisfactory answer to Anakin's question. He stuttered a few times, and finally muttered something that sounded an awful lot like "I don't know."

Another pause, and then Anakin slammed a fist down on the console hard enough to make the rest of them jump. "We were so _close_!"

Perun did not respond; he was too busy trying to interpret the computer readings and find the coordinates the Luke had accidentally jumped to. A little hand suddenly appeared beside his on the controls, momentarily distracting him; Cy was using the control panel to pull herself up into a standing position, so that she could peer up and over the computer at the hyperspace tunnel. "Safe?" she asked after a minute.

"Yes, Cy, we're safe for now." If the girl caught any of the implications behind his words, she didn't show it, though if the tightening of Anakin's jaw was anything to go by, he did. None of them were really safe until they knew where, exactly, they would come out of hyperspace. It was probably better, however, that Cy remain ignorant. "Why don't you and Luke go back to the cabins?" he suggested kindly.

She nodded and toddled out. With one last look at Anakin (who was very determinately staring out the viewport), Luke shuffled out behind her.

"He _is_ only a child, Master," Perun commented after a moment.

Anakin did not look away from the controls. "A child who made a mistake."

"I'm just saying, you may have been a bit harsh." Perun paused a minute, then asked, "Would Master Kenobi have treated you like that?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. But there are other Masters who would have."

"But you're not other Masters. You're--" he caught himself just in time, and finished with, "You're a hero to him."

Anakin was silent for a long moment. Then he said, "We need to find those coordinates."

Perun sighed to himself, and turned back to his computer.

* * *

"Master Skywalker hates me."

Obi-Wan sighed quietly at the child's self deprecation. "A Jedi does not hate, Luke. And while I'll be the first to point out that Anakin isn't perfect, his anger is fleeting."

"But this is all my fault. What if we come out in a gravity well, or near a sun or a black hole, or--"

The former Jedi was growing very tired of Luke's panic; they had already been through this part of the conversation twice. "Well," he finally interjected, cutting off Luke's growing list of what could happen to them, "if that is indeed your fate, I highly doubt that Anakin's opinion of you will continue to matter very much."

Luke frowned and stared at his feet. "I'm scared, Ben," he confided after a while. "I thought an adventure would be _fun_."

"A Jedi does not seek adventure," the ghost admonished, and Luke's scowl deepened. "And don't give me that look. You have done a very admirable job up until now."

The boy's eyes were a bit over-bright. "Really?"

Ben smiled warmly. "You have made all of your teachers, myself included, very proud. You shouldn't let your mind become so fixated on one mistake."

Luke wiped eyes that he would later deny had been teary, and finally said, "I'm going to check on Cy."

Obi-Wan waved him on, and couldn't help but think that Luke -- from his petulant expressions to his overwhelming desire to help others -- really was his father's son.

* * *

"General Fisto, I'm picking up a distress signal from what looks like one of ours. You think it's Skywalker?"

Kit leaned over to examine the coded message on the computer on screen in front of Cody. "It's too clean," he said quietly. "I can't help but think that Anakin and his Padawan would have been swearing."

"Skywalker did say something about Grievous stealing a fighter back on Ilum." He glanced uncertainly at Kit. "This could be a trap."

"It's possible. If anything else, it will take us to the battle; we may have already missed the beginning."

"Don't you hate it when that happens?"

Kit grinned and gave Cody a light clap on the shoulder as he took their craft into the field Anakin had outlined for them. This was deep space, far from any hospitable planets, cold and dark. And it was empty, except for a single damaged fighter that continued to project it's weak distress call. Cody sighed quietly. "Well, I certainly hope that wasn't Skywalker."

"No," the Nautolan replied slowly. "No body." The ends of his head tails twitched slightly in anticipation as he focused more upon the Force in this area, and he motioned to the man beside him to continue guiding their ship forward.

Cody gave a small, involuntary shudder as they came around to the opposite side of the fighter. "Well, General," he said grimly, "there's your body."

It wasn't Skywalker; Kit wasn't even sure it was human. But it still had a lingering amount of the Force surrounding it, enough to tell Kit that he had been a spacer whose luck had simply run out. "Grievous must have attracted this man and his crew with the distress signal; they walked right into his trap."

"And now Grievous has a new ship that we can't track," Cody added.

Kit paused thoughtfully. "I think," he said after a while, "that it is more important now that we find Anakin. Grievous will find _us_ there."

"Now there's a comforting thought." Cody shook his head. "So I guess we start by trying to contact the _Twilight_."

* * *

The computer was constantly calculating hyperspace coordinates based upon what it read as their current trajectory; in fact, the traitorous machine was probably still doing so now. Anakin had never wished more fervently for an astromech droid to help him slice through the thousands of sets of numbers and find the right pair, but he only ever flew with Artoo, and the heavily modified droid had been needed more by fellow Knight Jax Pavan, investigating a murder that had possible links to the events of Naboo.

"Master," Perun said suddenly, dragging Anakin from his thoughts, "I think I've got it."

An algorithm was still throwing number after number up on Perun's computer, until it finally displayed the same four points which Perun had originally entered. He frowned as the navigation system tried to identify their projected location. "Master," he heard Perun murmur, "this place is outside Republic space."

"Why am I not surprised?" Anakin was now running his own calculations; they knew where they were coming out, and now the next question was how long they still had before they arrived. It didn't look like much time.

And then the numbers disappeared entirely, to be replaced by a fuzzy, flickering hologram of a clone commander.

"Ge--ral Skywalker." There was a lot of static in both the audio and the image; the _Twilight_ was not equipped properly to receive transmissions while in hyperspace. "Thi-- --s CC-2224. --copy?"

"I forgot I called for backup," Anakin said, then quickly started tuning receivers to get a better signal. When the systems came on, he continued, "I copy, Cody. Our coordinates are 282.688 by 463.1003. Do not follow; repeat, do not follow."

There was a pause, then, "General Skywalker, this is CC-2224. Do you copy?"

Anakin stared, incredulous; were they not receiving a return transmission? "Yes, we copy you Cody. Our coordinates are--"

"Master, I really hate to cut this short--"

"What, Padawan?"

Perun pointed at the computer screen. "We're coming out of hyperspace."

In a last ditch effort, Anakin opened communications to all available channels. "Cody, this is General Skywalker. Our coordinates are 282.688 by 463.1003. Do. Not. Follow."

Then he cut transmissions and turned his full attention back to piloting. He brought the sublight engines back online, and executed a relatively smooth jump back to realspace.

But instead of a starfield, their viewport was dominated by the blues and greens of a very large and very close planet. And it was growing closer.

"We're in it's gravity well," Anakin said, in a voice not at all congruent with his apprehension. Then in a sudden flurry of movement, his hands were all but flying over the controls. "Give me all the stats you can, Perun, as soon as they come up. We're going to have to land hot."

"But you _can_ land?" Perun asked by way of reply.

"Believe me, I've landed worse than this." They were already entering the planet's upper atmosphere. He extended all of the ship's landing flaps; they turned red- and then white-hot with friction. Luke and Cy, who must have felt the jump, suddenly tumbled into the cockpit and rushed to secure themselves into the jumpseat. Anakin did not turn to watch, and so he missed the blue form that was standing behind them, watching intently. His only focus was on the ship, on the planet, on not crashing too hard--

Somehow, the physical impact was less jarring than he'd expected.

That was when he remembered that he had never fastened his own safety restraints.


	23. In which new worlds are discovered

_**Chapter Twenty One**_

_**In which new worlds are discovered...**_

It was raining, the usual weather pattern on M'rytlil, though sunlight broke through the thin cloud cover just enough to make the drops sparkle. Still, seven-season-old Tlun did not like it, and sheltered under his head-tendrils as best he could. They were not fully grown in, and he was not particularly adept at controlling them yet. He used his third leg (more of a tail, really, though he always thought of it as a leg, even though it was only used as such in those rare moments when he was stationary) to push an errant tendril back into place, but not before a very large raindrop fell through the gap and landed squarely on the back of his neck. He shivered, and more water ran down his tendrils, or flew the short distance to some of the other children around him, making them chatter and scurry away. He ran after them, weaving through the traveling crowd with practiced ease.

When the rain finally ended, Tlun stopped and let his tendrils fall back to their usual position; they were almost long enough now that he could trip over them if he didn't exercise caution. The pause also gave him ample opportunity to readjust his double-pupiled eyes to the once again bright sunlight on the plains. While the adults continued on toward the temporary trade center that had been erected the day before, Tlun stood blinking in the sunlight, enjoying the warmth but hating the light from the twin suns.

Another dark shadow fell on the grass. He looked up, expecting another cloud -- but it was too substantial, and moving far too quickly to be anything of the sort. It was coming closer too; it passed over his head with a rush like the worst storm winds, and then, with a deafening crash, it hit the ground several meters away.

Curiosity immediately getting the better of him, Tlun ran to investigate.

* * *

"Master? Master, are you alright?"

Rather dazedly, Anakin opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. He felt a pair of hands on his shoulders, pulling him out of his current position (slumped over the control panel) and back into his seat. He must have blacked out during the impact, because the scene before him was taking longer than usual to come into focus; as the blurry colors slowly resolved themselves into blurry shapes, Anakin was able to make out Perun leaning over him to check the pulse point on his wrist, Luke hovering anxiously on his other side, and beyond them, out the viewport…

"Look," he said drowsily. "A welcoming party."

Perun looked at him as though he were speaking Huttese, which, he realized a moment later, he had been. Smiling apologetically while he tried to reform his thought in Basic, he simply pointed out the viewport.

"They must be natives," Perun said a moment later, studying them the way that Anakin had seem him study holobooks in the archives. "Well, they don't _look_ dangerous."

Anakin leaned forward as much as Perun's arm across his body would allow. The growing crowd appeared to all be of the same species, though variations in dress seemed to signify tribe or family groups. They were roughly humanoid, with skin ranging from blue grey to vivid sapphire. A collection of long tendrils grew from their heads like hair, but fell the length of their bodies and became wide and flat around the waist, forming a natural skirt. One of the smaller ones suddenly darted forward and, after a moment's hesitation, knocked three times on the hull of the ship.

Both Perun and Luke looked at Anakin, who continued smiling and said, "Well, I guess we should go say 'hello.'"

He hadn't meant it seriously of course, but before anyone could stop her, Cy went running out of the cockpit to do just that. Luke was only a few paces behind, hopefully going to stop her. Anakin started to follow as well, but a wave of dizziness washed over him as he stood up, and Perun had to catch and steady him. They exchanged slightly panicked expressions as they heard the hatch sliding open, followed by Luke's cry of "Cy, wait for Master Skywalker! We don't know what they are yet!"

"Those kids," Perun muttered as Anakin took an experimental step forward, "are both too curious and too smart for their own good. How do you suppose she got the hatch open?"

"The button isn't exactly hidden or poorly labeled," Anakin replied. "Come on, let's go make use of your diplomacy skills, Padawan."

"Are you sure you're alright? You hit your head pretty hard."

"Yeah, I know. Remind me to check the crash bags when we get back to Coruscant." Sensing that his comment had done nothing to alleviate Perun's concern, Anakin took another, more confidant step down the hall. "I'm fine, Padawan. Fresh air will do me good."

"Assuming there's oxygen in it."

Anakin shook his head, then quickly decided that was a bad idea. Although the breeze now circulating through the ship was making his head feel clearer, he knew it would still be a while before he was recovered fully. But Perun didn't need to know that.

Luke was waiting for them at the edge of the boarding ramp, but Cy was several meters away, standing before the alien child who had approached the ship. There was a long moment during which neither of them moved, and then Cy poked it. The being emitted a high-pitched squeak which may have been it's form of giggling, and happily poked Cy back. She screeched and ran to hide behind Perun.

The crowd opposite was now whispering excitedly in their own language, and Anakin decided that he ought to do something himself if there was going to be any sort of positive interaction between the two groups. Clearing his throat and using a touch of the Force to ensure that his voice carried clearly over the plain, he asked, "Do any of you speak Basic?"

There was another tense and rather confused silence, and Anakin was beginning to think that they had not understood him when one finally stepped forward, moving in the slow, slightly jerky way that indicated old age, and said, in very accented Basic, "Gr_ee_tings. It has b_ee_n many s_ee_sons since travelers have come to M'rytlil. Why are you h_ee_re?"

"Our hyperspace jump was not calculated correctly."

"Ah." The alien settled back so that it rested on a third leg in a reclining fashion. "I do not understand. W_ee_ are not a spacefaring p_ee_ople. _Tlun_!" The last word appeared to be a name, as the child who had appointed himself to be their other ambassador jerked his head up and looked back at the elder with a guilty expression; Anakin realized the child had been inching closer during the conversation, and was now only two or three paces away. He jabbered something in his native tongue, and the older alien made the squeaking laugh noise again. "Forgive Tlun," he said quietly when he'd finished. "H_ee_ doesn't know what you are, though h_ee_ wants to."

"We're humans," Anakin supplied. "Jedi. And forgive me for asking, but-- what are you?"

"They're Reeras," Perun interjected suddenly. Anakin looked at him with one eyebrow raised, and he continued, "The native population of M'rytlil; I knew I'd heard the name somewhere, I just had to remember where. When the Reformed Hyperspace Trade Act failed, it was partially due to the fact that the M'rytlil Senator, who was expected to vote in it's favor, never voted at all. That was when the Senate realized that there hadn't been a Reeran representative present for votes for about a decade; they'd just sort of phased out of the Republic, which eventually encouraged some of the would-be Independent Systems to do the same."

"I'm not even going to ask why you know that, Datapad."

Perun ignored the nickname, and plowed on. "Only because when we were on Tanaab negotiating the trade access treaty with Selonia one of the stipulations was that it follow the fourth and seventh clauses of the Reformed Hyperspace Trade Act, but not the--"

Anakin put up a hand to cut him off, and although Perun dutifully fell silent, he couldn't help but feel that his Padawan looked rather smug as he did so. Fortunately, the Reera did not seem to be fluent in human facial expressions or sarcastic commentary, and he continued to address Anakin as though the brief digression had never taken place.

"I have never met a Jedi," he said slowly, eyes closed as if trying to recall a distant memory, "only heard stor_ee_s. They came often to our planet, b_ee_cause the Magic is strong h_ee_re. It is rare among our p_ee_ople, but you f_ee_l it, yes?"

Anakin breathed deeply, letting the Force fill him completely. At the edge of his consciousness, he was aware of Perun, Luke, and even Cy doing the same. "Yes," he said, feeling a shiver run up his spine, "The Force has a particularly strong influence on this world."

Despite not being Force sensitive himself, the old Reera certainly seemed to understand Anakin's words. "Come," he said suddenly, turning back to the larger group. "M'rytlil must have called you here for a r_ee_son."

* * *

"General Skywalker, this is CC-2224. Do you copy?"

The comm cackled with static. Cody waited until he'd completed a mental count of twenty, then switched to the next clear station to try again. Beside him, General Fisto was staring unblinkingly into space as though he were waiting for something that Cody couldn't see. They hadn't spoken since the Nautolan had taken over as pilot, leaving Cody with a mounting sense of frustration as he methodically checked each channel. It wasn't that the work was hard for him, but he wasn't trained as a tech specialist, and it was _boring_.

"General Skywalker, this is--"

Without warning, Kit reached over and flipped to a channel that Cody had identified as solid static an hour before. "That station is jammed--" he started, but his reply was cut short by a voice just barely recognizable as Anakin Skywalker.

"I copy, Cody. Our coordinates are 282.688 by 463.1003. Do not follow; repeat, do not follow."

Cody looked at Kit. The Jedi was already calculating a hyperspace jump. He grinned. "This is really beginning to feel just like old times, Sir."

* * *

On the bridge of the freighter known as _Trader's Luck_, General Grievous monitored every available comm station for clues to Skywalker's whereabouts. He had never imagined that the Jedi would be so careless as to broadcast his location, and yet that was precisely what he'd done. Perhaps he was desperate, or (Grievous paused to savor the thought) perhaps Skywalker was as anxious to meet in combat again as he was. Fine, if Skywalker wanted so badly to die by his blade, Grievous would be all too happy to oblige.

All he needed to do was find the Jedi before Fett did. Skywalker's death would not be nearly so satisfying if he could not claim personal responsibility.

* * *

What Grievous did not know was that he was not alone on _Trader's Luck_. He had disposed of most of the crew; a few had made it to the freighter's single escape pod, but he had pursued and shot them from the sky.

But one of them, a scrawny seventeen-year-old boy by the name of Han Solo, had recognized the intruder on the security cams as the thought-dead terror of the Clone Wars, and he hadn't agreed with Shrike's plan to escape and sell this information. Being of a life preserving nature, Han had hidden himself as best he could aboard the ship; it seemed like a far better option than being the sacrificial bait that Shrike had intended to use him as.

So Han Solo sat huddled in the dark, cold, but reasonably large space that comprised the ship's main smuggling compartment, too afraid even to breath too loudly, and wondered what had happened to his shipmates. When he heard the freighter's guns powering up, felt the electric hum echo through the underbelly as they fired, he felt he could make a reasonable guess.

After that, Han could hear nothing except for the reverberating footfalls of Grievous' pacing across the bridge. He waited, silently cursing whatever God had decreed that this should be his fate just two days before his planned escape to Ylesia.

* * *

In the trade center, they found another six Reeras who spoke fluent Basic, and though the high pitched intonations of their language were beyond Anakin and Perun's vocal range, by the end of the day Luke had mastered the words for 'thank you,' which made every native who heard him speak them smile.

Evening fell, and the Reeras broke away from the centralized location to return to their tribal groups. Most did not seem to sleep in tents, so Anakin returned to the _Twilight_ to retrieve his and Perun's bedrolls for the children, as well as the length of waterproofed cloth that they used to erect a crude-but-effective lean to. Luke and Cy were asleep almost instantly, but Anakin and Perun sat outside and watched the moon rise into the starry sky.

"This planet is beautiful," Perun commented idly. "I haven't seen skies this clear since Tatooine."

A frown creased Anakin's face, and for a moment Perun thought it was the mention of his former homeworld that had upset him. But it seemed that Anakin's mind was on other things. "The Force _is_ strong on this world," he said quietly. "Not light, not dark, just… strong. It's calling me."

"And you want to follow it." It wasn't a question; Perun knew his Master too well. "What about the Council? They'll be looking for us, and we haven't even tried to contact them."

"It's not important now."

"Not important--" He felt his temper mounting and quickly checked himself. Not only was it not becoming of a Jedi to argue, but Anakin had that determined look in his eyes that Perun knew meant there would be no reasoning with him. He let out a long, slow exhale, and continued more evenly, "What about finding Grievous then? Isn't that important?"

Anakin was silent for a long moment, staring into the distance. "Patience has never been one of my strong suits," he said after a while, "but what else can we do now except wait for him to come to us again?" He paused, then added, "Obi-Wan would have told me to wait."

"You think he'll find us here?" Anakin gave him a startled look, so Perun quickly amended, "Grievous, I mean."

"Oh." Anakin's next words were more thoughtful. "It's possible. Probable, even; he'll be looking for us, I guarantee it."

"Great." Perun sighed quietly. "Just for the record, Master: I have a bad feeling about this."


	24. In which caves are explored

_**Chapter Twenty-Two**_

_**In which caves are explored...**_

Perun woke up slowly. Someone was gently prodding him in the shoulder, but he continued to lie there with his eyes closed until the someone (Cy, if he wasn't mistaken, because she was the only one with such small fingers) climbed unceremoniously on top of him and planted a hand firmly on his cheek. He sat bolt upright, and she tumbled back to the ground with a broad grin. Satisfied that she now had his attention, she pointed over the expansive plain and said, "Look."

Glowering slightly, he followed her gaze. M'rytlil's primary star was already high in the sky, while the second was just cresting the horizon. The Reeras were awake and active, the distant trade center buzzing. A group of children were playing frisbee a few yards away; Luke, still clad in his off-white tunic and pants, stuck out like a sore thumb among the crowd of blue, but seemed to be enjoying himself anyway.

Perun caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and realized Cy was now trundling toward his still sleeping Master.

For a moment, he considered warning Anakin. Then he decided that, considering everything the man had put Perun through in the last seven years, he deserved to be woken by the over-enthusiastic toddler.

* * *

Second dawn brought with it a rainstorm, the kind of warm, light rain that Anakin always enjoyed. When it calmed, he and Perun broke down their campsite under Tlun's curious gaze. He was called away by another Reera, a female who had introduced herself the day before as Mrel. She conversed with him briefly before sending him off with an affectionate shove.

"I h_ee_ar that you plan to follow the winds," she said, coming straight to the point as all of her kind seemed to.

"We're going north," Anakin replied, "if that's what you mean."

She nodded, eyes closed. "If you r_ee_turn h_ee_re, it is likel_ee_ that w_ee_ will have moved on."

"Better that you do." Anakin glanced at Perun, who met his gaze knowingly. "There may be dangerous people following us."

"There are dangers where you journ_ee_y, too." Mrel opened her eyes suddenly, gaze now intently focused on the group of younglings. "_Ee_ven your children you take into danger. Or are they special, _ee_ven among your kind?"

"Oh, they're special, all right," Perun replied, using his usual half-serious, half-cynical tone and earning a look from Anakin. "But they'll be fine. I hope."

"They are good children." For the briefest moment, Mrel's gaze shifted to Anakin, as though she were appraising him. Then she blinked several times very quickly, turned, and said, "I will tell them to r_ee_turn to you."

* * *

The grassy plains were of endless fascination to Luke, but it was still a comfort when Master Skywalker led them into a series of caves, and he knew there was solid rock around him again. Walking through the long grass, which became steadily taller the farther they went from the areas populated by the Reeras, had felt to Luke something like being caught in a particularly green blizzard.

Cy, of course, did not have this problem. She was small enough to be carried, a trait that Luke especially envied by the end of the third hour of walking.

"Courage, little one." Luke felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up, half expecting to see Ben -- but it was Master Skywalker. "Keep your chin up. I don't think it's much further."

Luke dutifully looked up from the clouds of dust he'd been watching float around his feet, and then nearly screamed when something darted past them at the edge of his vision. "What was that?" he asked, turning his head to try and look behind him.

"What was what?" Perun shifted Cy to his hip so that he could hold her one-handed, and ignited his lightsaber with his other to illuminate the gloom. "There's nothing here--"

"Luke!" Anakin pulled him back just as a gauntleted hand reached for his throat. He had jumped between Luke and the thing in the next instant, and Luke peered around his legs to see what he'd been attacked by. The blue glow of Anakin's blade showed a full suit of armor, complete from bracers to empty helmet. The sounds of other -- creatures? objects? spirits? -- coming to life behind them made Luke stiffen and edge closer to Anakin. There was a long, tense silence. Anakin shifted the grip on his weapon, then--

"Wait!"

Just before the thing would have lunged, Perun grabbed his Master's arm.

"Padawan, what--?"

"Trust me." He held Anakin's gaze for several heartbeats, then looked past him to the animated armor. Very deliberately, he deactivated his lightsaber, and clipped it back to his belt. Then he looked very seriously back at Anakin until his master had done the same.

The visor seemed to be staring at them in an appraising fashion. Then, having apparently decided that they were not threats, it fitted itself back into it's place in the cave wall, ready to take up guard once more. The others behind them did the same, but Luke still didn't want to move until they were standing in silence once more.

Anakin turned back toward the depths of the cave with a relieved sigh. "What would I do without you, Padawan?" he called over his shoulder.

"Probably get into a lot more trouble," Perun replied easily.

"Or have a lot more fun. Come on, let's see what else is here."

* * *

The caves seemed to consist of a wide main passageway, with a system of smaller paths branching off that Luke itched to explore. But he stayed behind Master Skywalker as they continued down the main passage, mostly because he had seen the size of the hills they were currently under, and more importantly hadn't seen where they eventually ended. Whatever valley they were heading toward, it was well hidden.

"Those things were guarding the valley, right? Why didn't they attack us?"

Anakin shrugged, so Luke looked up at Perun instead. "Why didn't those things--"

"Because they were testing us, in a way. I think they're Force sensitive." Perun had adopted the tone of voice that Luke associated with history or theory teachers. "They recognized that we carried weapons, so they threatened us. When they recognized that we meant no harm, they went back to their posts. They're connected to these caves, and whatever's in them."

There were veins of mineral deposits in the dark rock. "It's like Ilum," he said, pointing.

"Not quite," Perun said. "These are powerful, but they're part of the cave. The Ilum crystals grow out of the rock; they want to work with us." He paused for a moment, then added, "I hear the crystal caves are beautiful. I'd love to visit them one day."

"You've never been?" Luke asked. "I thought all Padawans built their lightsabers there?"

Perun shook his head. "My crystal came from a world called Yavin; well, one of the moons. There are storms there, and when conditions are right, the crystals form in the atmosphere. Very unconventional, very dangerous."

"Oh." Luke found his hand drifting toward his pocket. "I have an Ilum crystal. You can have it, if it would help."

"No, you keep that, Luke. It may come in handy one day."

"Ben said the same thing."

Perun hesitated a moment, then asked, "Luke, Ben is imaginary, right? You do know that none of the rest of us can see him?"

"Well, I can't see him all the time either," Luke replied, "but that doesn't mean he isn't there. Ben's always there when I need him."

"So, you're saying Ben is here now?"

Luke paused, and reached out with the Force to search for his friend's presence, then replied, "No."

"Great--"

"But someone else is."

* * *

Anakin felt it at the same moment as Luke: a ripple in the Force caused by the movements of a stranger who no doubt had been unprepared to encounter the cave's guardians. He ducked into one of the pitch black side caverns, pulling Luke and Cy behind him, with Perun in the rear facing the main passage. Cy, no doubt sensing the suddenly tense atmosphere, started to whimper. Luke put a hand over her mouth, and did a remarkably good job of remaining silent when she bit him.

They retreated a few paces at a time until Anakin felt the cool air of another cross-passage running parallel to the main. This one, though, was small enough that they'd need to walk single file, which would slow them considerably, and even Perun would need to crouch in order to move forward.

With a silent hand gesture, Anakin motioned Perun to take the lead down that passage.

"Just like Bellassa, right?" his apprentice asked, and though it was dark, Anakin knew he heard a smirk in Perun's whispered words.

"I thought we agreed never to speak about that?"

"Speak about what?" Then he disappeared, guiding the children in front of him.

Anakin mentally counted to ten before retracing his steps back toward the main passage. He walked with his back against the cave wall, keeping to the deepest shadows, his lightsaber raised and his thumb on the activation switch. He waited.

The figure -- visible only as a darker outline against the opposite wall -- that appeared suddenly moved like he did, despite the addition of armor. He was humanoid -- Fett, then, not Grievous. _Good._ Anakin was no longer sure he could take on the bio-droid single handed.

Fett stepped past Anakin, turned, and fired a second after Anakin had leapt from his hiding place. He landed behind Fett, and barely managed to deflect the next series of shots. Fighting in close quarters like these had never been his forte, and Fett pressed his advantage. One blaster bolt grazed his shoulder, cutting through tabbards and tunic to burn the skin beneath. Anakin gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the pain enough to take the offensive. Extending his gloved hand, he gathered the Force and used it to throw Fett against the stone. The bounty hunter fell there, and didn't move.

For a moment, Anakin considered killing him. It was the choice he may have made in his youth, even knowing that Obi-Wan would chastise him. But this was a different time, and he had become a different person.

And Fett didn't appear to be going anywhere any time soon.

He checked the armor, and found a pair of binders. It took some maneuvering, but it he managed to twist Fett's gauntleted hands behind him and secure them there.

Then he sprinted back down the main passage, following the now ringing call of the Force.

* * *

The passage came to an abrupt end, letting into a ravine on the opposite hillside from which they'd entered. Perun squeezed past Luke and Cy and stepped outside to survey the area. The sense of danger had faded, and the valley was still and silent. Then he spotted Anakin, sitting cross-legged on the ground before a stone plaque set into the hill. Perun turned and motioned for Luke and Cy to follow him, then ran to Anakin's side.

There was something very strange about Anakin's posture, and he did not respond when Perun called his name. Luke and Cy stopped just short of Anakin, also staring at the symbol that had been painted on the stone.

"Master…" Perun put a hand on Anakin's shoulder, and his eyes suddenly snapped open. Perun sighed, relieved. "Master, you had me worried for a second there…" but his sentence trailed off again as he realized that Anakin wasn't listening to him.

"Mother," he murmured, staring past Perun. "Mom!" And then he was running again, back into the caves, leaving a very confused and stunned apprentice behind him.


	25. In which visions become reality

_**Chapter Twenty-Three **_

_**In which visions become reality...**_

The first thing that Anakin had noticed upon reaching the valley was that Perun and the children had not, as he'd anticipated, arrived before he had. The second thing he noticed was the stone plaque, and the writing around it. Settling himself on the ground in front of it, he noticed that it was written in an ancient but legible form of Aurebesh; it seemed to have been set down by a Jedi from the Old Republic who had studied this valley, and claimed that…

Anakin blinked, and reread the passage. _"I have long suspected that the Force was infinite not only in terms of space, but in terms of time. To hold the Force is to hold infinity in your hands. To see the Force is to see all of time. Here on this planet, in this valley, where the Force is stronger than I have ever known it, if one is pure-hearted enough, the Force may show the dead to the living."_

Even as he was reading, Anakin thought he saw the image of a woman in the robes traditionally worn by the Jedi historians. She turned, smiled at him, and resumed her writing on the stone. There were more figures appearing around her, some almost clear enough to be solid, some mere shadows. Last to appear was a hooded figure wearing an instantly recognizable mask; Revan removed it slowly, and gazed silently and sadly at Anakin before fading away again.

He continued to sit there, fixated on the stone, as the visions became voices, whispered murmurs that he couldn't quite make out, until one became clear above the rest and his heart skipped a beat.

"Follow," it said, in a resonate alto tinged with the accent of the Outer Rim. "Follow us. We have to tell you. You have to know. Follow us."

"Mother," he murmured. He rose without thinking, the last remnants of his vision swirling around him as he raced them back to the cave.

* * *

Luke was vaguely aware of Master Skywalker racing back toward the caves, but his attention was mostly riveted by the stone plaque before him and the symbol painted on it. There was writing too, but he didn't pause to puzzle over it. He only stared intently at the infinity symbol, until his eyes watered and the image blurred into new shapes.

_There was a woman with long dark hair sitting in a window ledge, looking sadly out toward the horizon where the spires of the Jedi Temple were visible. She was crying, and every once in a while she would absentmindedly rock the empty cradle in front of her. He didn't know who she was, not by name anyway, but he knew that it was he that she was missing, and he wanted to crawl up into her lap and press his cheek against hers and cry with her…_

Then Perun grabbed him by the hand and started running back into the caves, and Luke only just managed to get his feet working under him again as they raced after Master Skywalker.

* * *

"Now really, Anakin, you haven't been this rash since the Clone Wars. Look, you've left your Padawan behind."

Anakin stared dumbly as the vision kept speaking.

"Come to think of it," it said, "the last time you went chasing a vision of me, you left him behind then too."

"I wasn't… not you…" Anakin stumbled over his words as he attempted to comprehend what he was seeing. "You are definitely not my mother."

The blue-tinted spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi merely cocked an eyebrow at him. "Whatever would have you given you the idea that I was?"

At that moment, just as Anakin was beginning to feel very foolish, Perun, Luke and Cy rounded the corner into the cavern he was standing in. And if he'd thought he was confused before, it was nothing compared to how he felt when Luke looked at Obi-Wan's ghost, and cried out, "Ben!"

Anakin's head whipped around so sharply that it hurt. "_This_ is Ben?"

The boy nodded.

"Luke, do you know what-- _who_ this is?"

"That's _Ben_," Luke replied, looking at Anakin with an odd expression, as if he couldn't understand why Anakin didn't understand him.

"That is how he knows me." Obi-Wan smiled down at him. "I've been protecting him."

Now Luke looked affronted. "I don't need protecting. And if you're not Ben, who are you really, then?"

Anakin answered for him. "My old Master. Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Obi-Wan." He smiled again. "Now there is a name I haven't heard for a long time." Then he turned a more serious expression back to Anakin. "But we don't have time to explain that now; there are more important things to discuss. This is not a chance meeting, Anakin, nor was your meeting Luke again."

"Oh no," Perun murmured.

"What do you mean, 'Oh no?'" Anakin glanced between his apprentice and his former Master. "And what do _you_ mean, 'Again?'" When Obi-Wan did not answer immediately, he finally fixated on Perun. "Why do I get the feeling that you know something I don't?"

Perun flushed and looked away. "I don't know anything, exactly. I only suspected, really, just an idea…" The last few words ran together as his sentence trailed away, and Anakin glared at him.

"Tell me what it is that you _suspect_ then, Padawan."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

Perun muttered something indistinguishable, but Anakin though he caught the words 'Council' and 'Masters.'

"Perun, have the other Council members asked you to keep something from me?"

There was a long pause, and then Perun nodded tightly.

"Well that certainly explains a lot."

Obi-Wan suddenly cleared his throat rather loudly, causing them both to look around again. "Not to interrupt, but perhaps I should point out again that time here is limited? You and Luke, you're--"

Something like a rockslide sounded from the front of the cave network, and Cy squeaked in alarm and flung herself at Perun's leg. He picked her up, and, still not looking at Anakin, said, "I'll go investigate." And he fled the cavern, taking Cy with him.

"Wait!" Anakin watched them go. "I should help them. Say what you need to say!"

Obi-Wan sighed quietly.

"Luke is your son."

* * *

The cave guardians had turned away millenniums' worth of possible invaders, letting through only those who wished to study -- but not misuse -- the Force. But never had they encountered anything like General Grievous. Their ancient weapons could not pierce the dura-steel exoskeleton, and he pressed on with such ferocity that eventually they relented and melted back into the stone walls. They were, after all, part of the caves, and the rock could take only so much before it collapsed.

* * *

Echoes of fighting at the cave entrance shook the walls even as far deep as as the tunnel that Perun and Cy had disappeared down. She pressed her face against his shoulder, and tried to focus on the sound of his voice instead of the rumblings around her.

"I should have told him. I should have told him years ago. No Jedi keep secrets from each other, especially not Master and Padawan. Stars, I can only imagine what he must think of me…"

They made random turns while Perun continued to talk to himself, either unaware or uncaring that Cy was listening. But eventually his words became unintelligible to Cy, and she finally placed a hand firmly over his mouth to silence him. She stared determinately up at him, daring him to argue with her. Only when he reached up to draw her hand away did she pull it back herself.

"Fine, fine." At least now there was a hint of a smile in his voice. "You're right, of course. Not your problem anyway." He took another step forward, and then stopped, completely frozen; he'd brushed something with his foot that definitely didn't feel like rock. Moving as slowly and silently as he could, Perun reached for the portable glow-torch that was clipped to his belt. The light that suddenly blossomed from it illuminated the armored figure of Boba Fett, leaning against the wall, presumably unconscious, hands still bound behind him.

And just as Perun thought that the situation couldn't get any worse, the bounty hunter moved.

* * *

**Author's Note: Many apologies for the delay in getting this chapter posted. After a long bout of writers block in how best to organize this and coming chapters, I went abroad to school and haven't been able to log in to until today. I suppose something was reset on the router. **

**Chapter 24 is in progress, and hopefully won't be long in coming. Until then--**

**--Argenteus Draco **


End file.
